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JOTTINGS OF KENT, 



BEING A SERIES OF 



HISTORICAL, ECCLESIASTICAL, 
TOPOGRAPHICAL, 



AND 



STATISTICAL SKETCHES, 



BY 



WILLIAM MILLER, 

Of E. M. India Office. 



The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof. ~Ps. xxiv. 



, ' > . > > 



[SECOND EDITION.] 



GRAVESEND : 

Thomas Hall, 4a, Windmill Street. 

LONDON : 
t HITTAKER & Co., AVE MARIA LANE, LUDGATE HlLL. 



1864. 









qub 








'OL 








GRAVE SEND, 






PRINTED BY THOMAS HALL, 








4a, WINDMILL STREET. 


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TO THE 



Right Honourable and Most Reverend, 
CHARLES THOMAS LONGLEY, D. D., 



Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, 



and 
PRIMATE OF ALL ENGLAND, 

This little Work is, 

With HIS GRACE'S Permission, 

respectfully 

DEDICATED 

By the Author. 



PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. 



It was not contemplated, whilst contributing these Sketches to 
Kentish Journal, that a desire would be manifested for their re-pn 
duction in a collected form, neither that the compiler's incognito shou 
be disclosed; still it is a gratifying fact to him, that however sinrp 
their garb,— divested as they are of pretentious phraseology, — the 
purpose has been served. 

Without desire to claim merit, and in perfect disregard of all pecu- 
niary interest, he has selected his materials from the highest authorities, 
re-written them in a familiar style, and brought them down to the pre- 
sent time as a simple epitome of Historical and Topographical Sket< 
as their title indicates,— Jottings of Kent ; and however imperfectly 
rendered, neither praise or censure belongs to him for re-producing much 
that has emanated from other minds. 

It is the compiler's pleasing duty to tender to the Most Reverend 
Prelate, whose name graces the Patron's page, his warmest thanks far 
the honour he has conferred on the Work, as well as upon him, in 
accepting the Dedication; — a high compliment also to the people of 
Kent, his Grace being a native of that County, and the highest Eccle- 
siastical Personage in England. Neither can he omit expressing his 
kind acknowledgments to Mr. Thomas Hall, the respected Proprietor of 
the " Gravesend Free Tress," for the pains-taking manner in which 
they were presented, — in the first instance, — through the column- 
that excellent Journal, and subsequently, in the present neat pocket 
volume. 



PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. 

It would be discourteous in the Compiler of the " Jottings of 
Kent," to allow a Second Edition to appear without a few words, in 
acknowledgment of the patronage extended to his simple labours. 

Long before the First Edition was published the whole were sold, 
and a widely expressed desire evinced, for a second issue. Mr. Hall 
readily acceded to this request, and, at considerable outlay, reprinted the 
work in its present form. 

The Compiler, — desirous of manifesting his appreciation of such 
favour, — has retouched many portions, and introduced several interest- 
ing facts that have transpired subsequent to their first appearance in 
the pages of the " Gravesend Free Press ;" not only from a desire to 
render the work more complete, but also to secure to the spirited Proprie- 
tor of that excellent Journal, a remunerative return for the large expense 
he has incurred to meet the wishes of Kentish people and others. 

Dais ton, n. e., 
\Zth Dec, 1864. 



CONTENTS 



•f 

History of Kent from the Invasion of Julius Caesar — Ancient Britons 

—Progress in Civilization — Vessels — Huts — Cash — Clothing of Skins 

Longevity — Arrival of Hengist and Horsa — Hengist and succeeding 
Kings of Kent Pages 1-8 

-Kent subject to the Kings of England — Invaded by the Danes — Al- 
cher first Earl of Kent and his Successors ending with Edward, Duke of 
Kent, sire of Queen Victoria ...... 9-16 

Roman Antiquities — Products and Resources — CANTERBURY — 
its Antiquities — Monastery — Cathedral and Historial Interest. RO- 
CHESTER— its Antiquities— Castle— Bridge— Cathedral and Church. 
MAIDSTONE — Roman remains — Produots — Gaols and Churches 17-42 

GRAVE SEND— Bishops of— Pilgrimages through— Right of River 
traffic — Royal Banquets and Visits — Stage Coaches — Fires — Oldest 
Streets — Steam Boats — Block Houses — Piers | — Baths — Churches and 
Chapels — Charitable Bequests and Institutions — Statistical Tables — the 
Town — the Hill and the Cemetery 43-64 

NORTHFLEET — Rosherville Gardens — Pier — Chalk works — 
Dock-yard — Huggens' College — Seats and Churches. COBHAM — 
Village— College— Church— Cobham Hall and Park. SPRINGHEAD 
— Culture of Water-cress — Mrs. Clayton, the Centenarian. SWANS- 
COMBE— Early History— Legend of William the Conqueror. GREEN- 
HITHE— Ingress Park— ViUage and Pier. STONE — Cockleshell 
bank — Stone Castle — St. Mary's Church .... 65-80 

SOUTHFLEET— Ancient History — Roman remains — Sir John 
Sedley's, School — Church and Monuments. MEOPHAM — Ancient 
Church. WROTH AM — Archiepiscopal Palace — Church, and interest- 
ng Church-yard 80-87 

DENTON-next-Milton— Ruins of St. Mary's Church— Cemetery. 

CHALK — Ancient Church and Monuments. SHORNE — Battery 

Manor — Windmill — Church — and Tradition of JohnShorne. HIGHAM 
-Nunnery — Gad's Hill, and Chas. Dickens — Tunnel — Church 87-96 

CLIFFE at Hoo — Antiquity — Synods — Manors — Church, and An- 
cient Communion Plate. COWLING — a Saxon Settlement — Castle — 
Execution of Lord Cobham — Church and Monuments 96-101 

AYLESFORD— Friary— Kits Coty House— Church. OTFORD— 
Great Battles— Archbishop's Palace— Church. KEMSING— Edith's 
Well — Church, and Monuments 102-107 

HE VER— Castle— Anne Boleyn— Church. TUNBRIDGE— Town 
—Churches — Grammar School— Castle. SEVENOAKS — Town- 
Ducking Pond — Grammar School — Manors — Knowle House and Park 

108-117 



Viii. CONTENTS. 

D ARTFORD — Barrows — Manor — Tournament — Nunnery — 
Church. ERITH— Belvedere House— Monastery— Church and Monu- 
ments p ages 117-123 

GILLINGH AM — Manor — Battle — Chantry — Council— County 
p r i son _Church and Monuments. UPCHURCH— Roman Pottery and 
Kilns— Church 123-126 

ISLE OF SHEPPEY— Resort of the Saxons— Pyrites— King's 
Ferry. MINSTER — Monastery— Manors and Church. SHEER- 
NESS— Dock-yard and Town. QUEENBOROUGH— Castle and 
Church. EASTCHURCH— Manor of Shurland— Legend, and Church. 
"WARDEN— Manor and Church. LEYSDOWN— Animal remains, 
and Church. ELMLEY— Pasture, Lands, and Church. HARTY— 
Church 127-135 

SITTINGBOURNE— Castle Rough— Bayford Castle— Manors- 
Church. FAVERSHAM — Roman Antiquities — Distinguished Na- 
tives — Manor— Royal Visitors — Grammar School — Church and Monu- 
ments 135-140 

RECULVER — Roman Fortress and Coins — Monastery — Church of 
the Sisters — Legend of the Sisters — St. Mary's Church & Relics 141 -1-14 

ISLE OF THANET— History of, and Ancient Caverns. BIR- 
CHINGTON— Village— Manor and Church. ST. NICHOLAS-AT- 
WADE— Village and Church. SARRE Church. MONKTON— 
Church and Monuments. MARGATE— Pier— Bathing— Institutions 
—Church and Monuments. KINGSGATE— Bartholomew's Gate- 
Tumuli. NORTH FORELAND and Light House. ST. PETER'S 
—Village— Church and Monuments. BROAD STAIRS— York Gate- 
Monstrous Fish — Ancient Chapel — Churches and Chapels. RAMS- 
GATE — Pier — Harbour and Light-House — Sands — Churches and 
Chapels. ST. LAWRENCE— Church and Monuments. PEGWELL 
BAY. MINSTER— Monastery— Church and Monuments 145-165 

RICHBOROUGH — Roman Fortress— Watling Street— Ancient 
Coins — Supposed Town — Relics and human Anglo-Saxon remains at 
Osengall Downs 166-169 

SANDWICH— Town and Castle— Ancient wall— Fisher's Gate- 
Hospitals — Churches and Monuments. DEAL — Earlv History — Town 
Pier— Schools— Hospital— Barracks and proposed Harbour 169-176 

WALMER— Village — Manor — Barracks — Castle — Church and 
Monuments. RINGWOULD Parish — Church and Monuments. 
KINGSDOWN— Village— New Church and Cliffs. ST. MARGA- 
RET' S-AT-HOO— Cliffs— Lobsters caught at— Parish— Church and 
Curfew-bell. SOUTH FORELAND LIGHT-HOUSES— Walk to 
Dover — the lone Tree 176-180 

DO VER— History— Castle— Keep— Heights Harbour— Corpora- 
tion Seal— Town— St. Martin's Priory— Hospitals— Saxon Remains- 
Knight's Templars— Public Buildings— Churches— Houses and Popu- 
lation, and Area— Houses and Population of the entire County 1S0-191 

*** An Index will be found at the end of the Volume. 



\ 



JOTTINGS OF KENT 



KENT, the garden of the Home Counties, so rich in natural beauty 
and historical interest, possesses advantages peculiarly its own, 
foremost amongst which is the coast line, the grand highway of 
trade and commerce to the port of London. 

The unbounded wealth borne upon the Thames and Medway far 
surpasses that of any other nation, whilst on their banks stand four 
of the docks of the Royal Navy — that of Woolwich, the ' Mother 
Dock of England,' being pre-eminent in attractions for foreign and 
distinguished visitors. Some of the finest ships of the British Navy 
were built here: — the 'Henry Grace de Dieu,' launched in 1515, — 
the ' Queen Elizabeth' in 1559, launched in the presence of the 
Queen whose name she bore,— the ' Royal Sovereign,' of 100 guns, 
in 1637, designated by the Dutch, from her naval successes, the 
' Golden Devil,' — the ' Royal George,' sunk at Spithead, 29th of 
August, 1782, and, in our own time, some of the noblest vessels that 
ever nation boasted. The appliances of steam-power and delicacy 
of machinery are amongst the wonders to be witnessed at Woolwich, 
especially that of a huge hammer, which can snap asunder a thick 
bar of iron or, at the will of the engineer, crack the shell of a filbert 
nut without injury to the kernel. 

Anterior to the Christian era, the inhabitants of Kent were 
known to have intercourse with other nations, for Caesar in his ' Com- 
mentaries ' records them as far more civilized than those of any other 
part of Britain, which gave them a status amongst foreigners they 
still continue to merit. 

History further tells us that the natural bravery of the people of 
Kent preserved it an entire kingdom during nearly four centuries, 
and ever afterwards the Kentishmen, being distinguished for their 
valour, especially against the incursions of the Danes, were placed 
foremost in battle in acknowledgment of their natural bravery. 

Early in the Saxon Heptarchy the Christian religion was estab- 
lished in Kent, and its principal city, Canterbury, has the honour of 
holding the primatial see of all England. 

B 



2 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

When Julius Caesar invaded England, fifty-four years before 
Christ, Kent was largely inhabited by the Belgic Gauls, who 
evidenced considerable progress in civilization, by the cultivation 
of the lands and the growth of corn, contrary to the practice of the 
inhabitants inland, who lived mostly on milk and flesh procured by 
the chase ; they had also established a mode of government like that 
in Gaul, which had spread over great part of the island, for 
even at that early period there were four princes or chiefs govern- 
ing it. 

Their vessels, however, were small and fragile, suited only for 
river excursions, with keels of slight timber laced with wicker-work 
and covered with hides. The towns or villages, if such they may 
be called, were little more than groups of huts placed at short dis- 
tances from each other, and mostly in the middle of a wood, defended 
with earth-mounds, or trees that had been cut dow r n to clear the 
ground: they bred abundance of cattle, and their cash was of brass 
and iron in rings, which currented by weight. As before remarked, 
from their origin and intercourse with the Continent, the inhabitants 
were the most civilized of the ancient Britons ; and whilst the use of 
clothing was scarcely known in any other parts of the island, those 
of Kent wore garments made of the skins of wild beasts. Plutarch 
describes them as, from their regular and temperate habits, remark- 
able for longevity, and only beginning to grow old at one hundred 
and twenty years. 

The Britons, after the departure of the Romans, having suffered 
severely from the ravages of the Picts and Scots, who had driven 
them to precarious shelter in the woods and mountains, convened a 
General Assembly in the year 445, at which they elected Vonigern 
king ; but he proved ill-qualified to restore the nation's fallen condi- 
tion, and, regardless of the welfare of his subjects, became cruel, 
avaricious, and debauched, living in equal dread of his enemies and 
of his own people. To free himself from the danger of the one. and 
the plots of the other, he called a National Assembly, and propounded 
the necessity of bringing to their assistance the Saxons, a brave and 
ambitious people, settled in Germany upon lands of the Romans ; 
when it was determined to invite Hengist and his brother Horsa to 
defend them, in return for the Isle of Thanet, and to allow the 
Saxon soldiers pay, to be settled by mutual agreement. 

Hengist, then 35 years old, gladly accepted the terms : he was the 
son of Wetgiffel, great-grandson of Woden, from whom descended 
all the Saxon royal families. 

Hengist and Horsa arrived with three ships and fifteen hundred 
men, and landed on the Isle of Thanet, where they were welcomed 
with demonstrations of great joy by Vortigern. 

Thus in possession of the Isle of Thanet, the Saxons did not 
long remain inactive, but, being united to the British forces, boldly 
marched to Stamford in Lincolnshire, and gave the Picts and Scots 



JOTTINGS OF KENT. 8 



battle, in which the latter were entirely routed, leaving the Saxons 
and British masters of the spoil and booty taken. 

In a.d. 450, Hengist, ambitious of a permanent settlement for his 
countrymen in Britain, and sensible of the fertility of Kent in com- 
parison to his own barren country, persuaded Vortigern of his 
danger of a fresh invasion of the Picts and Scots, and of the necessity 
for an augmentation of Saxons to strengthen him against enemies, 
to which Vortigern readily assented. 

Hengist thereupon invited over great numbers, to become sharers 
in their new expedition, and, during the same year, upwards of 5,000 
Saxons, exclusive of wives and children, were landed from sixteen 
ships. With this reinforcement came (Esc or Escus, Hengist's 
son, and, according to Nennius, Rowena his daughter, whose beauty 
and elegance of manner captivated Vortigern, for whom he divorced 
his wife and married her, settling upon her father Hengist the fertile 
province of Kent. 

In 452 a further reinforcement of Saxons arrived in fortys hips, 
and ravaged the countries of the Scots and Picts ; while Hengist, 
emboldened by their success, sent for more men and ships, until his 
native country was left almost uninhabited. Thus multiplied, they 
purposely quarrelled with the Britons and, after secretly concluding 
peace with the Scots and Picts, turned their arrows against Vortigern. 

ift 455 a great battle was fought between the Britons and Saxons 
at Eglesford (now Aylesford), Kent, in which Horsa, Hengist's 
brother, was slain. Immediately after the battle Hengist took upon 
himself the title of King of Kent, from which time the Saxons 
spread rapidly over the face of Britain. Hengist fixed his royal seat 
at Canterbury, where he governed thirty-three years : he died in 488, 
aged 69 years, 39 of which he passed in Britain. He was one of 
the bravest generals of his age, but his love of bloodshed, fraud, and 
treachery remain indelible blemishes on his memory. 

Hengist left two sons, Escus and Andoacer. Escus, the eldest, 
took possession of the kingdom, and ascended the throne as Escus, 
(second) King of Kent (a.d. 488). Escus possessed neither the 
valour nor bravery of his parent, preferring ease and luxury to the 
fatigues and privations of warfare. During the first three years of 
his reign little transpired to disturb the peace between the Saxons and 
Britons, but in the following year (492) Ella, a Saxon general of 
the posterity of Woden, erected his standard in Sussex, where he 
was established as King of Sussex, or of the South Saxons. He was 
also elected general of the Saxons in the room of Hengist, who, 
beyond his title as King of Kent, was head of all the Saxons in 
Britain. This was the second Saxon kingdom, answering to the 
present counties of Sussex and Surrey. 

The year 495 was remarkable for the arrival in Britain of Cerdic, 
a noble Saxon general, with a long train of distinguished Saxons ; 
more especially he being the progenitor of the Kings of England to 

B 2 



4 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

Edward the Confessor, and downwards in the female line to George 
III. Cerdic was further famous as the founder of a kingdom to 
which, ultimately, all became subject, — that glorious line of which our 
beloved Queen is the exalted representative. He landed with his 
nobles and forces at a place called ' Cerdic's Ora.' 

Of Escus, King of Kent, little can be traced. His apathy allowed 
the powers of Hengist to be usurped by Ella, whose successful war- 
fare against the Britons founded a new kingdom. Thus content to 
possess in tranquillity the crown of Kent, Escus died in 512, after a 
reign of twenty-four years, memorable only for leaving his name to 
succeeding Kings of Kent, who, from him, were called ' Escingians/ 

Octa, (third) King of Kent (a.d. 512), succeeded his father 
Escus, and reigned twenty- two years. During the second year of 
his reign Ella, King of the Saxons, died, after considerably enlarg- 
ing his kingdom. Octa, like his father, was wanting in the energy 
of purpose and indomitable bravery of Hengist, who had peopled 
Essex and Middlesex as well as Kent, which he governed by a 
prefect, or deputy, but which were wrested from his successor in 
527 by Erchenwin, another descendant from Woden, who assumed 
the title of King of Essex, or of the East Saxons. We have no 
record of the right by which he claimed this kingdom, although 
historians ascribe it to Octa's weakness, of which he took advan- 
tage. In 532 Cerdic invited great numbers of his countrymen with 
their families to settle in his territory. They came over from Ger- 
many in eight hundred vessels, whereby Cerdic's powers were 
largely increased. He was afterwards crowned at Winchester as 
King of Wessex or the West Saxons, and died in 534, thirty-nine 
years after his arrival in Britain. 

Octa died the same year, and was succeeded by his son — 

Hermenric, (fourth) King of Kent (a.d. 534). In the thirteenth 
year of his reign (547), Ida, a noble Saxon chief, embarked from 
Germany in forty vessels, and landed his forces at Flamborough in 
Yorkshire, then in possession of the Northumbrian* Saxons, who 
had inhabited that country since the time of Hengist, to whom they 
were tributary. Ida was at once acknowledged sovereign, under 
the title of King of Northumberland, which was the fifth Anglo- 
Saxon kingdom. He was a prince of great fame, and built a city 
in honour of his queen Bebba (Bebbanburgh), of which the Castle 
of Bamborough still remains. He died in 559. Thus the apathy 
and neglect of Hengist's successors seriously curtailed the powers 
and territory of the Kings of Kent, which Hermenric made no efforts 
to arrest. Three years before his death he admitted his son Ethel- 
bert sharer with him in the kingdom. Hermenric died in 564, after 
a reign of thirty years. 

Ethelbert, (fifth) King of Kent (a.d. 564), ascended the throne 

* From North Humber. 



JOTTINGS OF KENT. O 

immediately after the death of his father. He was one of the most 
celebrated monarchs not only of Kent but of the whole heptarchy, 
more especially as being the first Christian king of his nation. 
This prince beheld with regret the superiority of Hengist lost by 
the apathy of his successors : he attempted by force of arms to 
establish his own dignity, but unsuccessfully until, in conjunction 
with other kings, he defeated Ceaulin, King of Wessex, after whose 
death Ethelbert was elected monarch of the Anglo-Saxons, and 
exercised an almost absolute power over all the kingdoms south of 
the Humber. Besides being formidable to his neighbours from his 
conquests, his alliance with Bertha, daughter of Caribert, King of 
Paris, brought the friendship of France, Italy, and other continental 
nations, as well as the respect and dread by his people of the intro- 
duction of the French into Britain. 

The most memorable fact which gave lustre to his reign was 
the founding of Christianity in Britain through the instrumentality 
of Queen Bertha, who brought over a French bishop to the Court of 
Canterbury, and employed her best powers to induce Ethelbert to 
embrace the Christian faith. 

In 597 Pope Gregory the Great sent Augustine with forty com- 
panions to propound the tenets of the Church of Rome. Ethelbert 
assigned them residence in the Isle of Thanet, already prepared by 
the care of the Queen. Augustine preached the gospel with earnest- 
ness : numbers of Kentishmen were baptized. The king viewed with 
secret pleasures religion which could inspire so much piety and 
disinterestedness, and on the feast of Pentecost in the year 597 he 
professed himself a Christian and was baptized. The following 
Christmas ten thousand of his subjects followed the example of 
their sovereign. Ethelbert exerted all his influence to second the 
efforts of the missionaries. As soon as Augustine was consecrated 
archbishop, by the Archbishop of Aries, the king gave his royal 
palace at Canterbury to Augustine as a dwelling for himself and 
clergy, and out of the Roman ruins at Reculver built himself 
another palace. Ethelbert also converted many of the heathen 
temples into churches, the first of which was dedicated to St. Pan- 
crace (St. Pancras). During this reign the foundation of Canter- 
bury Cathedral was laid, and a monastery erected in honour of 
Augustine, whose name it bore. 

In 604 Ethelbert endowed the Augustine monastery with large 
revenues : the laws he made, which are the most ancient, are still 
extant in the Saxon language. He was the husband of two wives: 
by his first wife, Bertha, he had a son, Eadbald, who succeeded him, 
and a daughter, Ethelburga, who married Edwin, King of North- 
umberland. 

Ethelbert died in the year 616, after a brilliant reign of fifty- two 
years, and was buried in Canterbury Cathedral, near his consort 
Queen Bertha. 



6 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

Eadbald, (sixth) King of Kent (a.d. 616). This prince, upon 
ascending the throne, forsook the Christian faith and turned to 
idolatry, in which his whole people followed. Hume tells us 
Laurentius, the successor of Augustine, found the Christian religion 
wholly abandoned, and Mellitus and Justus, Bishops of London and 
Rochester, already departed the kingdom. Eadbald had married 
his mother-in-law : his vices rendered him slothful and inactive ; 
all the English sovereigns cast him off with the yoke they had 
borne during the life of Ethelbert, as he had neither the power nor 
courage to maintain the kingdom his father had so firmly established ; 
hence Laurentius, Archbishop of Canterbury, after preaching the 
gospel without fruit to a nation of infidels, resolved on returning to 
France, but before which he determined on a last effort to reclaim 
the king. Eadbald, deeply moved by his eloquence, was brought 
to a sense of his errors, and, divorcing himself from his mother-in- 
law, returned with his people to the faith of the gospel, and spent 
the remainder of his life in the practice of its precepts: but he had 
lost for ever the fame and authority of his father. 

Eadbald left two sons, Ermenfride and Ercombert, and a daugh- 
ter, Eanswith, who became a nun and founded the nunnery at 
Folkestone. He died in 640, after a reign of twenty-four years, and 
was buried at Canterbury, near his father, in a chapel which he 
himself had built. 

Ercombert, (seventh) King of Kent (a.d. 640). Ercombert was 
famed for piety and love of his country. Although the youngest 
son of Eadbald (by Emma, daughter of the King of France), he 
ascended the throne to the prejudice of his eldest brother. It was 
this monarch who first established in Britain the fast of Lent. He 
caused the heathen temples to be destroyed and the idols broken 
in pieces, lest they should prove a future snare. He had issue two 
sons, Egbert and Lothair, and two daughters, Ermenilda and Dom- 
nona. The eldest daughter married Wulpher, King of Mercia; the 
youngest was a nun. Ercombert reigned twenty-four years, and 
left the crown to his son Egbert. He died in the year 664, and was 
buried in St. Augustine's monastery. 

Egbert, (eighth) King of Kent (a.d. 664). This prince is re- 
nowned for his encouragement of learning and the liberal arts, but 
infamous for putting to death the two sons of his uncle Ermenfride, 
lest they should disturb him in the possession of the crown. Egbert 
gave to his youngest sister, Domnona, some lands in the Isle of 
Thanet, where she founded a nunnery ; he afterwards (669) save 
the palace and lands of Reculver to" build a monasterv. Egbert 
reigned nine years, and died in 673, leaving two sons, *Edrie^ and 
Widred, who were not his immediate successors, for his uncle 
Lothair usurped the throne. 

Lothair, (ninth) King of Kent (a.d. 673). Lothair, having] 
reigned some years unmolested, made his son Richard partner with. 



JOTTINGS OF KENT. / 

him in the kingdom, which at once obliged Edric, his nephew, to 
withdraw from court, and seek aid from Edelwalch, King of Sussex. 
Edelwalch placed under his command a formidable army, which 
marched into Kent. Edric gave his uncle battle, in which Lothair was 
vanquished, and died of his wounds in 684-5. He was buried in 
St. Augustine's monastery, near King Ercombert. Richard, son of 
Lothair, fled to Germany, where he married the sister of the Arch- 
bishop of Mentz, and was afterwards elected King of Suabia. 

Edric, (tenth) King of Kent (a.d. 684-5). Edric, the eldest son 
of Egbert, then ascended the throne. His reign was a continued 
scene of warfare with his subjects, by whom he was slain within 
two years, leaving the kingdom weakened and embroiled. 

Widred and Swabert, (joint) Kings of Kent (ad, 686). Wid- 
red succeeded his brother Edric, but, not having the general ap- 
probation of the people, was obliged to admit one Swabert as part- 
ner in the kingdom. During the reign of these two kings, Cedwalla, 
King of the West Saxons, imagining from intestine divisions that 
the kingdom of Kent would prove an easy conquest, sent an army 
under command of his brother Mollo, who overran the country and 
committed great ravages. In this extremity Widred and Swabert 
joined forces ; the natural courage of the Kentishmen was aroused, 
and, after a sanguinary battle, they put Mollo and his troops to 
flight. Mollo with twelve of his officers, being sorely pressed, 
took shelter in a house, but the Kentish soldiers fired the house and 
they all perished in the flames. Cedwalla soon revenged the death 
of his brother -Mollo, whom he tenderly loved. He entered Kent 
with a formidable army, and devastated the whole country with fire 
and sword. The two kings had no repose until the year 69 1 — indeed, 
the horrors of the invasion had so enfeebled Kent as a nation that 
it never again recovered its superiority in the heptarchy. 

Swabert died in 695, and Widred reigned alone in peace to his 
death in 725, leaving three sons — Ethelbert, Eadbert, and Aldric. 
Widred was buried near the body of St. Augustine, in the porch of 
Our Lady's Chapel, Canterbury, built by King Eadbald. 

Ethelbert, (twelfth) King of Kent (a.d. 725). According to 
some writers, Ethelbert associated his brothers Eadbert and Aldric 
with him in the government, whilst others assert that he reigned 
alone. Rapin tells us that Ethelbert and Eadbert reigned together 
until 748, when Eadbert died, and Ethelbert reigned alone until his 
death in 760, after reigning thirty-six years. 

Aldric, (thirteenth) King of Kent (a.d. 760). Aldric, the only 
surviving son of Widred, succeeded to the crown. The enfeebled 
state of the kingdom exposed it to the incursions of neighbours — 
Offa, King of Mercia, most prominent amongst them. Offa entered 
Kent with a large army, and gained a great victory over Aldric, 
which still more seriously impoverished the affairs of Kent. Jea- 
lousy, however, on the part of other kings would not allow Offa to 



8 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

usurp the kingdom, for he was drawn from Kent by a Welsh inva- 
sion of his own territory, but for which Offa would in all proba- 
bility have united Kent to Mercia. Aldric associated his only son, 
Alemand, with himself in the government, but that prince died 
before his father, and, as Aldric left no heir, the race of Hengist 
became extinct with his death in the year 794. 

Eadbert-Pren, (fourteenth) King of Kent (a,d. 794). The 
death of Aldric, the last of the Royal House of Kent, had thrown 
the State into considerable confusion, when Eadbert, or Edilbert 
(surnamed Pren), took possession of the throne. His reign was of 
brief duration, for Cenulph, successor of Offa, King of Mercia, 
taking advantage of the enfeebled state of the kingdom, ravaged it 
throughout, and, having defeated Eadbert, whom he tools: prisoner, 
carried him to Mercia, where he caused his eyes to be put out and 
his hands to be cut off. 

Cudred, (fifteenth) King of Kent (a.d. 798). Cenulph, having 
subdued Kent, placed his brother Cudred on the throne, but only as 
the vassal of Mercia, to whose king he paid tribute. Cudred died 
in the year 805, after reigning eight years. 

Baldred, (sixteenth) King of Kent (a.d. 805). Baldred was 
the son of Cudred, and, like his father, paid tribute to the King of 
Mercia. He reigned eighteen years, after which he was driven out 
of Kent in 823 by Egbert. 

Egbert, who commenced his reign as King of the West Saxons 
in 800, ultimately subdued the Britons, and in the space of nine- 
teen years extended his authority over the greater part of the island. 
He finished his conquests in the year 828, from which time is to be 
dated his title of King of England, and the dissolution of the Saxon 
Heptarchy, as well as the kingdom of Kent, which during four 
centuries was a distinct and noble nation, whose history will be 
read to latest posterity with pride and admiration by every Anglo- 
Briton. 

Kent, now part of the kingdom of England, remained without 
material alteration as to government, but from its situation was 
especially exposed to the incursions of the Danes, and came succes- 
sively under the power of their kings — Sweyn, Edmunds, Canute, 
and Hardicanute. 

In 832 a numerous fleet of Danes invaded Kent: they landed on 
the Isle of Sheppey, and after plundering the neighbouring country 
returned to their ships, but still continued their ravages in various 
other parts of England, burning churches, destroying towns, and 
cruelly wasting the lands ; again, in 838, the Danes landed in 
Lincolnshire, East Anglia, and Kent, extending as far as Canterbury 
and Rochester, and even to London. 

The civil jurisdiction of counties now subject to the King of 
England was confided to an Eoderman or Earl, frequently persons 
invested with great military power. The first created was — 



JOTTINGS OF KENT. ^ 

Alcher, or Aucher, Earl of Kent (a.d. 850). He was a 
distinguished warrior, and displayed great bravery in 853, when the 
Danes again harassed the country. He was killed, with Earl Huda, 
in a great battle fought on the Isle of Thanet. 

Ceolmund, Earl of Kent (a.d. 897). Alfred the Great 
created Ceolmund Earl of Kent, to resist the Danes, who still con- 
tinued to annoy this coast ; little is recorded of him, beyond that he 
was a brave general and a faithful subject. 

Goodwyne, Earl of Kent (a.d. 1020). Goodwyne was of noble 
birth, and brother to Edric, Earl of Mercia. King Canute appointed 
him commander-in-chief of his forces in an expedition against the 
Vandals in Denmark, over whom he gained a triumphant victory, 
for which he was created Earl of Kent. On the death of Canute 
in 1036, Goodwyne directed with absolute sway; he had risen 
to an eminence scarcely admitting of any addition. He was 
the favourite of King Harold, at whose death, and the accession of 
Edward the Confessor, he usurped so great authority as to receive 
almost equal deference with the king. Edward would have 
obstructed Goodwyne' s advancement, but his power was so un- 
bounded that it might have proved dangerous had not death 
removed this formidable subject, for he died suddenly at the king's 
table the 15th April, 1053, and was buried at Winchester. 

Harold, Earl of Kent (a.d. 1053). Harold, Earl of Kent and 
Duke of Wessex, the second son of Goodwyne, was in temper more 
courteous and conciliatory than his father, with a much higher sense 
of honour, which secured him the respect of both nobles and people. 
The peace of England was somewhat disturbed in the year 1055, 
from a quarrel with Macbeth, King of Scotland, who had seized upon 
Cumberland ; but King Edward, espousing the cause of Malcolm, one 
of the royal family of Cumberland, speedily expelled him. In 1057 
Leofric, Earl of Mercia, died : he is memorable from his wife Godiva 
freeing the inhabitants of Coventry of a heavy tax by submitting to 
ride in a nude state through the town. Leofric and Godiva built a 
monastery at Coventry, to which they gave such vast treasures of 
gold, silver, and precious stones, that it was said to be the richest in 
the kingdom. 

Edward the Confessor had set apart the tenth of his revenue, and 
rebuilt from its foundation the Church of St. Peter (Westminster 
Abbey), which was the great object of his solicitude during his 
latter years : it was finished in 1065, when the king summoned all 
the bishops and great men of the nation to assist at the dedication, 
Harold being prominent amongst them. Harold reached the metro- 
polis on the 30th November, 1 065, five weeks before the king's death : 
the Festival of the Innocents was the day appointed for the dedica- 
tion of Edward's church, but he was unable to be present at the 
ceremony. King Edward died on the 5th January following, and 
was buried with great pomp in the church which he had erected. 



10 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

Edward the Confessor was the last king of Egbert's race, though 
not the last of the Saxon monarchs, since his successor was of that 
nation. 

The same year, 1066, Harold, Earl of Kent, ascended the throne 
of England, according to some historians by the unanimous voice of 
the nation, although he had previously bound himself to the Duke 
of Normandy not to attempt the throne of England : it is, however, 
evident that after his coronation he was universally acknowledged 
sovereign, and possessed the esteem of his people. 

William, Duke of Normandy, enraged at Harold's breach of faith, 
invaded England with a large fleet, landed without opposition at 
Pevensey in Sussex, and marched to Hastings. Harold, who was 
in the north, little expecting this invasion until the following spring, 
hastened to London, where he received ambassadors from Duke 
William requesting the surrender of the crown, and charging him 
with breach of faith. Harold sent a haughty reply, and marched 
his forces to Senlac, seven miles from Hastings, where he massed 
them on a declivity ; in the centre of his army floated the royal 
standard, by which stood Harold and his brothers Gurth and 
Leofwin. William, perceiving that a battle was inevitable, advanced 
to an advantageous position. 

On the following morning — Saturday, October 14th, 1066 (Harold's 
birthday) — the two armies were ranged in line of battle at daybreak : 
in front of the English were the brave Kentishmen. The conflict 
continued from six in the morning until night, when Harold was 
slain by an arrow shot through his head, and his troops entirely 
routed : on the side of the victors, of an army of nearly sixty 
thousand, more than one-fourth were left on the field ; while of the 
vanquished the loss is unknown. 

The great and decisive battle of Hastings was worthy of the 
heroic valour displayed by both armies. The bodies of Harold and 
his brothers being found, William the Conqueror sent them to their 
mother, who gave them honourable burial in Waltham Abbey, 
which was founded by King Harold. Thus ended in England the 
empire of the Anglo-Saxons, founded 600 years before by Hengist, 
first King of Kent. 

William, Duke of Normandy, now forty- two years old, having 
subjugated the kingdom, ascended the throne of England, and 
advanced to honour and distinction those who had displayed valour 
in his late struggle for the crown : amongst these was his half- 
brother Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, who, although an ecclesiastic, was 
created — 

Odo, Earl of Kent (a.d. 1067). Odo was amiable of disposition, — 
eloquent, courtly, and courageous; he honoured religion, and defended 
his clergy as well with his sword as his tongue. He was vested 
with great powers by the king, and having amassed large wealth, 
formed the Utopian idea of buying the Papal See, which project 



JOTTINGS OF KENT. 11 

reaching the knowledge of the king, he was arrested and sent 
prisoner to Normandy, where he remained until 1087, when William 
the Conqueror released him shortly hefbre his death. Odo after- 
wards undertook a journey to Rome accompanied by his nephew, 
which he never reached, but died at Palermo, in Sicily, in the year 
1096, at an advanced age : he was thirty years Earl of Kent, and 
upwards of fifty years Bishop of Bayeux. 

William de Ipre, Earl of Kent (a.d. 1141). This earl had 
given great proofs of his courage in Flanders and Normandy 
during the closing years of the reign of Henry I., as well as in the 
beginning of that of Stephen, which Stephen rewarded by creating 
him Earl of Kent in the sixth year of his reign. After the death 
of Stephen, in 1154, the Flemish were expelled the kingdom, — Earl 
William their leader, and the confidant of Stephen, with them ; they 
returned to Flanders, where William de Ipre became a monk : he 
died in the Abbey of Laon, in the year 1162. 

Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent (a.d. 1213). This earl was 
in high favour with King John, as well as with his successor, 
Henry III. He was considered the richest subject in England, 
which excited the envy of Peter, Bishop of Winchester, his rival at 
court, who spared no means to destroy his popularity, which he 
ultimately effected by estranging the king's favour from him, through 
which Hubert suffered great persecution ; he was deprived of all his 
dignified offices and emoluments, after which he was thrust into 
prison, and his vast stores of treasure and jewels of immense value 
seized, and carried to the king's treasury. He died at Banstede, 
in Surrey, the 12th May, 1243, in the 27th year of the reign of 
Henry III. Camden says of this great man — ' He was an entire 
lover of his country, and amidst the storms of adversity discharged all 
the duties that could be demanded from the best of subjects. 1 

Edmund, Earl of Kent (about a.d. 1285). Edmund was second 
son of Edward I. After the accession of Edward III. he was 
accused of plotting the restoration of Edward II. and cruelly 
adjudged to die for high treason, which was carried into execution 
the same day at Winchester. 

Edmund Plantagenet, Earl of Kent. This prince was the 
eldest son of Edmund, second son of Edward L, and the King's 
ward, but he died the next year without issue. 

John Plantagenet, Earl of Kent. He was brother of the last 
earl, but only lived a year after his creation ; he died on St. Stephen's 
day following, and was buried at Winchester. 

Thomas de Holand, Earl of Kent. He assumed the earldom in 
right of his wife Joane, sister and heir of the last-named John 
Plantagenet, Earl of Kent : there is no record of his having been 
so created, although he was summoned to Parliament by that title. 
He died in 1359, the thirty-fourth year of Edward III., and left issue 
three suns — Thomas, Edmund, and John. John was afterwards 



12 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

created Duke of Exeter, and married Elizabeth, second daughter of 
John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, by whom he had three sons, and 
a daughter Constance. Constance, after the death of her first 
husband, married John, Lord Grey of Ruthven, from whom the Earls 
of Kent of that family descended. 

Thomas, Earl of Kent. He was the eldest son of Thomas de 
Holand, and was knighted by Edward the Black Prince in 1365. 
Edward had married his mother, by whom he had a son, Richard 
II., his half-brother. This earl, who was made Constable of the 
Tower in 1389, died the 25th April, 1396, leaving issue four sons 
and six daughters: of his sons, Thomas and Edmund only survived. 

Thomas, Earl of Kent (a.d. 1396), succeeded to the title in his 
own right as heir of the last earl. He was in high favour with his 
kinsman, Richard II., who conferred on him a royal grant of land. 
The same year he was created Duke of Surrey, and afterwards 
invested with the Order of the Garter and made Marshal of England. 
The king gave him the famous Arras hangings of Warwick Castle ; 
and in 1398 he became Lieutenant of Ireland and Baron of Norrhage 
in that kingdom, having previously founded the Priory of Car- 
thusians at Montgrace, in Yorkshire. 

In 1399 the Irish, taking advantage of the small number of troops 
left in their country, revolted, and took up arms against the powers 
of England. Richard II. resolved to chastise the rebels in person; 
he was accompanied by the Earl of Kent, with whom he returned to 
England when Henry Duke of Lancaster's arrival became known. 

Richard II. was deposed 30th April, 1399, after which the Earl 
of Kent was deprived of all his honours : he then plotted with others 
the murder of Henry IV. and the restoration of Richard II., of 
which Henry became privily advised by the Duke of York. The king 
was at Windsor, but at once hastened to London ; the conspirators, 
in ignorance of Henry's departure, came to Windsor on the same 
night, headed by the Earls of Kent and Salisbury. Thus foiled in 
their design of seizing the king, they went to Wallingford and 
Abingdon, where they importuned the people to join them, and 
passed on to Cirencester for the same purpose. At the latter place 
they took lodgings, the Earls of Kent and Salisbury at one inn, the 
Duke of Exeter and Earl of Gloucester at another. The mayor of 
the town during the night assembled a number of townsmen and 
seized upon the Earls of Kent and Salisbury, whom the mayor 
caused to be beheaded immediately ; the head of the Earl of Kent 
was sent to London and elevated upon the Bridge, but it was after- 
wards taken down and given over to his widow, to be buried with 
his body in the priory that he had founded in Montgrace. 

Edmund, Earl of Kent (a.d. 1400). Edmund, brother of the last 
Earl of Kent, succeeded to his title ; his loyalty not being question- 
ed, he had restitution of all the estate possessed by his brother 
within a year. 

In the sixth year of Henry IV. (a d. 1405) the Earl of March came 



JOTTINGS OF KENT. 13 

to England and challenged Edmund to single combat ; they fought 
with great skill and bravery, but the Earl of Kent won the field. 
He married Lucy, daughter of the Duke of Millaine, but died with- 
out issue. 

In the ninth year of Henry IV. (a.d. 1408) the Earl was shot 
through the head by an arrow whilst besieging the castle of Briac, in 
Brittany : his body was brought back to England and buried with 
those of his ancestors. 

William Nevill, Earl of Kent (a.d. 1461). William Nevill, 
the second son of the Earl of Westmoreland, was created Earl of 
Kent by Edward IV. : he was a distinguished soldier, and fought at 
the siege of Orleans in the 26th Henry VI. (1448) ; he again dis- 
played great valour in the wars of France, and was made Governor 
of Roxburgh Castle in Scotland. During an embassy into Nor- 
mandy to negociate peace he was taken prisoner by the Erench, 
and remained their hostage several years. In the first year of Ed- 
ward IV. (1461) he highly distinguished himself in the battle of 
Touton, and overthrew the Lancastrians : his bravery was hand- 
somely rewarded, and he was created Earl of Kent and Lord Ad- 
miral of England, but did not long enjoy his honours, for he died 
in 1462, leaving three daughters, and was buried in the Priory of 
Gisborough, York. 

Edmund Grey, Earl of Kent (a.d. 1465). This scion of an ancient 
and noble house bore the titles of Lord of Hastings, Weysford, and 
Ruthven, and was created Earl of Kent by Edward IV. in the fifth 
year of his reign. H^ was 5 descended from Anschetil de Grai, re- 
corded in Domesday Book as holding many lands during the reign 
of William the Conqueror. He died in 1489, the fourth year of 
Henry VII., and left four sons, of whom only one survived. 

George Grey, Earl of Kent (a.d. 1489). George, the only sur- 
viving son of Edmund Grey, succeeded his father with all his titles, 
and was a chief leader in the king's forces during those tumultuous 
times, more especially in 1497. He died in the year 1507, in the 
twenty-second year of the reign of Henry VII., and left issue four 
sons, — Richard, Henry, George, and Anthony. 

Richard Grey, Earl of Kent (a.d. 1507). This nobleman in- 
herited the titles and estate of his father, and was elected a Knight 
of the Garter. He accompanied Henry VIII. to France as the 
king's personal attendant, and distinguished himself at the siege of 
Terrouenne in 1513. He died without issue in 1524, and was 
buried at the Whitefriars, Fleet-street, London. 

Sir Henry Grey, Earl of Kent (a.d. 1524). Sir Henry, bro- 
ther of the last earl, succeeded to the title and estate, which, having 
been wasted and encumbered by Richard, he declined taking up. 
He died in 1562, the fourth year of Queen Elizabeth, and was buried 
in the Church of St. Giles, Cripplegate, London, leaving a son and 
a daughter. 

Henry Grey, Earl of Kent (a.d. 1562). Henry, like his father 



14 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

declined taking up the titles. He married Margaret, daughter of John 
of Bletsoe, and left issue three sons — Reginald, Henry, and Charles. 

Reginald Grey, Earl of Kent (a.d. 1571). Reginald was of 
frugal habits, by which he greatly recovered his father's estate, and 
in the thirteenth year of Queen Elizabeth assumed his full titles, 
being the sixth earl of this family. He died in 1573, without issue, 
and was buried in Cripplegate Church, near his grandsire Sir Henry 
Grey. 

Henry Grey, Earl of Kent (a.d. 1573). According to Cam- 
den, this earl was ' a person plentifully endowed with all the orna- 
ments of true nobility.' He died without issue in 1614, and was 
buried in a chapel he founded adjoining Flitton Church, in Bedford- 
shire, in which a handsome monument was erected to his memory. 

Charles Grey, Earl of Kent (a.d. 1614). Charles Grey, the 
surviving son of the first Henry Grey, succeeded to all the titles: he 
had issue a son Henry, and a daughter Susan. This earl died Sep- 
tember 1625, and was buried near his brother in the chapel at 
Flitton. 

Henry Grey, Earl of Kent (a.d. 1625). Henry Grey, the ninth 
Earl of Kent of this family, married Elizabeth, second daughter of 
Gilbert Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, and died in London, without 
issue, November 1639. After his death the barony of Ruthven 
was conferred by Charles I. on his sister Susan's son Charles. 

Anthony Grey, Earl of Kent (a.d. 1639). Anthony, Rector of 
Burbache in Leicestershire, great-grandson of George, second Earl 
of Kent of this name, succeeded to the titles, but upon being sum- 
moned to Parliament excused himself from age and indisposition. 
He left five sons — Henry, John, Job, Theophilus, and Nathaniel — 
and five daughters: he died in the year 1643, and was buried in his 
own parish church. 

Henry Grey, Earl of Kent (a.d. 1643). This earl was the 
husband of two wives : his first, Mary daughter of Sir William 
Courteene, bore him a son, who died in 1644, and was buried near 
his mother in Westminster Abbey, who had died shortly before. He 
afterwards married Amabella, daughter of Sir Anthony Ben, Recor- 
der of London, widow of Anthony Fane, third son of Francis, Earl 
of Westmoreland. She brought him great wealth, and thus restored 
the lustre of this noble family : by her he had two sons, Anthony 
and Henry, and a daughter Elizabeth. Henry died a youth, and 
Elizabeth married Lord Maynard. Nothing remarkable is recorded 
of this earl : he was amiable of disposition, and by his second mar- 
riage restored the fallen fortunes of his house. He died in 1651, 
and was buried with his ancestors in the chapel at Flitton. His 
countess erected a handsome monument to his memory : she 
attained the age of 92, and died in 1698. 

Anthony Grey, Earl of Kent (a.d. 1651). Anthony, the eldest and 
only surviving son of Henry, the last-named Earl of Kent, inherited 



JOTTINGS OF KENT. 15 

the title: lie married Mary, heiress of Lord Lucas, Baron of Shenfield 
in Essex; she was created Baroness Lucas in 1663 (13th Car. II.), with 
succession to her heirs male and female "by her husband Anthony 
Grey, Earl of Kent. They had issue one son Henry, and a daughter 
Amabella. The Earl died August 10th, 1702, and was buried in 
the family mausoleum in Flitton Church. 

Henry Grey, Earl of Kent (a.d. 1702). Henry, the only son 
of the last Earl, took his seat in the House of Peers as Earl of Kent 
20th October, 1702, being the thirteenth of that noble family; his 
mother died the same year, when he added to his titles that of Lord 
Lucas of Crudwell. He became Lord Chamberlain in 1704, and in 
the fifth year of Queen Anne (December 1706) was created Vis- 
count Goodrich, Earl of Harold, and Marquis of Kent. 

In 1707 he was made Lord Lieutenant of Bedford and a Knight 
of the Garter. His amiability endeared him to all with whom he 
was associated ; although laden with honours, he was never wanting 
in sympathy for suffering humanity. He enjoyed the favour of his 
Queen, and after her death, in 1714, was received into the confidence 
and esteem of George I., who, in acknowledgment of his exemplary 
services, constituted him Lord Steward of the King's Household and 
Lord Privy Seal, as well as Constable of the Tower. He was twice 
married — first to Jemima, eldest daughter of Lord Crew of Stene, 
and had issue four sons and seven daughters. His son Anthony 
assumed the title of Earl of Harold, and took his seat as a peer by 
the title of Lord Lucas of Crudwell, but he died without issue in the 
year 1723: his other sons died young. Amabella, his eldest 
daughter, married Viscount Glenorchy, but she died at Copenhagen 
in 1726. Jemima married the Earl of Ashburnham, Anne Lord 
Charles Cavendish, and Mary Dr. Gregory, Canon of Christ- 
church ; the remaining daughters died in infancy. 

In 1729 the Duke of Kent married his second wife Sophia, 
daughter of William Bentinck, Earl of Portland : she died in 1748, 
leaving a daughter Anne Sophia, who married Dr. John Egerton, 
son of the Bishop of Hereford. This venerable duke, who lived 
to a ripe old age, died 5th June 1740, but without a male heir, by 
which the titles of Duke of Kent, Earl of Harold, and Viscount 
Goodrich passed from his house. His granddaughter Jemima, only 
surviving child of his daughter Amabella, inherited the titles of 
Marchioness Grey and Baroness Lucas of Crudwell: she married 
Philip Yorke afterwards Earl of Hardwicke, and left issue two 
daughters. 

Edward, Duke of Kent (a.d. 1799). This beloved prince was 
the fourth son of George III. He was born the 2nd of November 
1767, and educated in England, at Gottingen, and Geneva; he 
remained at Geneva until the year 1790, when he proceeded to 
Gibraltar in military command ; subsequently he went to America, 
from whence he returned to England in 1799, and was created 



16 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

Duke of Kent and Strathern and Earl of Dublin the 23rd of April 
of the same year. In 1802 he was made Governor of Gibraltar, 
which he resigned the following year. 

On the 11th of July 1818, his Royal Highness married Victoria 
Mary Louisa, sister of Leopold King of the Belgians, and fourth 
daughter of Francis Frederick Anthony, Duke of Saxe-Coburg. 
His superior talents, amiability of disposition, and wide-spread 
benevolence elicited universal admiration, but above all his mag- 
nanimous efforts for the improvement of society. He died 23rd of 
January 1820, in the fifty- third year of his age, leaving his good 
name and inestimable character to adorn the pages of British His- 
tory. His only issue was a daughter, our beloved 

QUEEN VICTORIA, 

whose reign has indeed been glorious, as shedding blessings 
throughout the length and breadth of her vast Empire : as the 
mother of her people, so she lives, treasured for her virtues ; a people 
who have mourned as well as rejoiced with her, and who, while 
holding her sacred in their best affections, mingle united prayers 
for Heaven's guidance and support, and that she might be brought 
through the bitter trial that has riven her heart, to the full enjoy- 
ment of health and happiness. 

With the death of His Royal Highness ended the long line of 
Kings, Earls, and Dukes of Kent, covering a period of 1365 years, 
during which the men of Kent figured more conspicuouslv in 
history than almost any other of the inhabitants of our English 
counties, and who had, before the Christian era, elicited the 
admiration of Julius Caesar, when he pronounced them as possessing 
knowledge of tillage and agriculture, and from whose progress in 
civilization was manifested an amount of intelligence and friendli- 
ness to foreigners over every other part of the island. 



17 



EOMAN ANTIQUITIES. 



Although we possess little to enlighten us as to the aborigines of 
the British Isles, more especially of the Welsh, yet Herodotus, 
who flourished five centuries before Christ, tells us of intercourse 
between distant nations and the Tin Islands, or Cassiterides (Corn- 
wall), and that merchant vessels traded there from Phoenicia and 
Carthage many centuries before the invasion of Julius Caesar, 
which proves beyond doubt that metallurgy was known in Britain 
even at that remote period. Thus it may be fairly assumed that 
the discovery of metals was not only the first means for bringing 
the nations of the East into intercourse with the ancient Britons, 
but also an important medium towards civilization. 

Kent, as already shown, occupies the early chapters of British 
History ; and as all the events identical with Caesar's invasion of 
Britain previous to the Christian era were enacted in this county, 
when Kent was governed by four kings or chiefs, some notice of 
the Roman Antiquities still remaining may not inappropriately form 
the subject of our present sketch. 

Under the Roman dynasty Britain was divided into four divisions, 
and was governed by Roman laws, dispensed mostly by Roman 
officers. Kent was included in that division called Britannia Prima, 
in which several permanent stations, occasional encampments, and 
military roads were established. 

Julius Agricola, the better to secure his conquests against the 
inroads of the Caledonians, built during the first century a chain 
of forts between the Frith of Forth and the Clyde, as was supposed 
had been previously done between the Solway Frith and the Tyne. 
Early in the second century, the Emperor Adrian erected a rampart 
or wall of earth, sixty-two miles in length, from the Tyne to Solway 
Frith, to intercept the inroads of the Scots and Picts, by whom the 
Romans were much harassed — all south of that line being civilized 
and within the Roman pale. This rampart having proved wholly 
insufficient, the Emperor Severus undertook the stupendous task of 
building a wall twelve feet high, eight feet thick, and sixty- eight 
miles in length, of which some grand remains are still to be seen. 
This magnificent work was accomplished in the incredibly short 
period of two years, and bore the name of 'Picts' WalV The Em- 
peror Severus lived in Britain several years, his chief residence 
being at York (Eboracum), where he died in the year 211. After 

c 



18 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

his death the Southern Coast— Kent — suffered severely from the 
incursions of the Franks and Germans, and not less from the exac- 
tions of the Roman governors. 

Whilst Britain was under Roman rule, their Emperor Constantius 
married the British Princess Helena, by whom he had a son. Con- 
stantius died at York in the year 274, when this son (Constantine the 
Great) became emperor : a memorable fact, inasmuch as Const intine 
the Great was the first Christian emperor, — his mother a Briton, 
and he born at York, one of the archiepiseopal sees of England. 

Rome, harassed by the inroads of neighbouring withdrew 

from Britain the larger portion of her troops, after which the Emperor 
Honorius, finding it impossible to maintain possession of the nation 
without a powerful army, finally abandoned the island. a.D. 4 In. 

The great Roman line of road passing through Ki nt was called 
"Watling Street; it commenced at Dover ( Dubri$\ and extended to 
London (Londinium), with stations at Canterbury l> 
Rochester (Durolevum), and Southfleet ( Vagniaem). A Becond r 
branched from Canterbury to Reculver (Regulbium), another from 
Canterbury to Richborough (Rutipiim), and the P / 

called Stone -way: beyond these others have been discovered in 
Kent, but without any distinguishing nam 

Many interesting antiquities have been dug up in these lines of 
road, including coins, implements in brass and iron, pott 
weapons, and other interesting relics. Some remains of tl nan 

stations and roads still exist: a portion of the station at Reculvi 
to be seen, of which a large part has been washed away by the 
inroads of the sea. Amongst the most perfect Roman remains in 
Kent is Richborough Castle, covering an area of rive acres within 
the walls, at the angles of which are round xo\\ n v me sppn 
mate idea of the strength of this grand ruin may be formed from the 
structure and thickness of its walls, built of solid blocks of stone 
and chalk, faced within, as well as without, by other blocks 
making the thickness of the walls upwards *of eleven feet Near 
Richborough Castle are the remains of a Roman Amphithe:. 
measuring upwards of two hundred feet in diameter. 

The Old Church in Dover Castle is another interesting relic. 
According to ancient chronicles of Dover, it was built a.iv 
and is supposed to have been a Specula or Watch-tower. The 
arches are of Roman brick, and the other portions of stone cut by 
the Romans; the style of building resembles that of Richborough 
Castle. A coin of Diocletian wasVound here during the last century. 

Saltwood Castle, a mile north-west of Hythe. was supposed tohl 
been built by the Romans for defence against the piratical attempts 
of the Saxons. Several Roman antiquities have, at ditferent 
times, been dug up in the neighbourhood, and an anchor 
ploughed up in the valley near the castle, which indicates thai the 
sea once covered that place and formed the castle harbour. About 



ROMAN ANTIQUITIES. 19 

two miles west of Hythe stood the Roman fortress ' Ad Portvm 
Lemanis,' of which some remains exist, affording good evidence of 
its strength and stately proportions. 

On a hill near Farnborough Roman coins, bricks, and tiles have 
been found, and the remains of a Roman encampment clearly traced. 

Canterbury also has many relics. Roman bricks were used in 
building portions of the city walls, and several arches of Roman 
brick were remaining until the end of the eighteenth century ; south 
of Canterbury a square camp with elliptic corners was clearly 
defined. 

At Southfleet, near Gravesend, many interesting antiquities 
were found. Amongst these was a Roman milestone, an earthen 
urn containing funeral reliquiae, pottery, coins, and other ancient 
curiosities. As recently as October 1864 some walls of Roman 
buildings have been grubbed up in a field adjoining Springhead 
Gardens, composed of flints and tiles, proving that a number of 
Roman dwellings stood on this spot, which was probably a station — 
the VagniaccB of Antonius. Mr. Roach Smith, in his ' Collectanea 
Antigua,' has already given plates of Springhead antiquities ; and 
Mr. E. Colyer, some years since, liberally offered every facility to 
the British Archaeological Association for regular excavations, 
which would doubtless unfold most interesting remains. 

Between HaJstow and Rainham several Roman potteries were 
discovered, containing numerous fragments of classic vessels, amply 
sufficient to illustrate the beauty of Roman art in this particular 
manufacture. " 

Rochester has liberally contributed its share of Roman antiquities, 
which have at various periods been dug up. In the mouldering walls 
of the cathedral precincts Roman bricks have been largely used. 

The principal of the Roman antiquities dug up in Kent have 
been in the line of their Watling Street, which was little removed 
from the line of the old stage-coach road between London and Can- 
terbury. Many remains of the Roman Watling Street still exist, 
which may be seen at Blackheath, Bexley-heath, Dartford, Stone, 
Southfleet, and Rochester. Again, beyond Canterbury, the Roman 
road known as ' Stone Stre- 1 ' is traceable, and of which many 
vestiges are distinguishable for three miles. 

Comparatively few Mosaic pavements have been found in Kent, 
and those of indifferent execution in comparison with the elaborate 
and truly elegant specimens dug up in London ; but Kent was great 
as the stronghold of the Romans — great in castles and forts, encamp- 
ments and military roads, with a barbican or watch-tower at Dover 
to command the Channel, and a native people, brave and generous, 
who learned the art of warfare while under Roman rule, and after- 
wards became the most distinguished warriors in Britain, — a people 
whose prowess is chronicled in history, and whose valour maintained 
Kent an independent kingdom through several centuries. 

c 2 



20 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 



PRODUCTS AND RESOURCES. 



The county of Kent is divided into two parts : that portion 
comprising the laths of St. Augustine and Shipway, with the uj 
section of the lath of Scray, being the Eastern Division ; and the 
laths of Sutton-at-Hone and Aylesford, with the lower portion of 
Scray, forming the Western Division. 

Kent, geologically considered, presents considerable varieties of 
soil, the principal of which are chalk, flint, gravel, and clay, 
mostly found in parallel strata, to attempt a full description of 
which would far exceed the limit and purpose of these desultory 
scraps : suffice it therefore to remark, that this fertile county pos- 
sesses in a high degree natural, as well as acquired, advanta 
over most of our English counties. 

Early in the Saxon Heptarchy the Weald (Saxon for w 
country) was a wild desert without human habitation, but weil 
stocked with deer and wild hogs. According to Hasted, n 
donations of the pannage of hogs in the wealdy country ? 
granted to the cathedral churches of Canterbury and Rochester. 

When parishes extend into the wealdy country and their 
churches stand above the kill, the land is distinguished as Upland and 
Weald— thus, ' Seven Oaks Upland," 'Seven Oaks Weald.' Per: 
one of the grandest scenes that can be contemplated on a fine autumn 
day is the Weald of Kent when viewed from the Upland, which ; 
sents the illusive appearance of an immense level country, carpeted 
with rich verdure of every hue, stretching to the farthest extent of 
vision ; bold lofty oaks, growing luxuriously, cover the surface. — 
mansions, villas, farmhouses, cottages, and quaint old chiuv 
illumed by the sun, dot the distance ; whilst cattle browsing u 
shady trees in rich pastures, the golden crops nodding to th< 
zephyr, and the feathered songster of the wood carolling forth in 
beauty and variety of melody, combine to form a picture sur 
ingly beautiful. 

The Oak may be considered as indigenous to Kent from the 
suitability of the soil. The British navy has for agefl drawn h 
supplies from this source. Some of th< -attain g 

proportions, instanced by Hasted, who d< 



PRODUCTS AND RESOURCES. 21 

Penshurst Park as producing twenty-one tons of timber, equal to 
eight hundred and forty feet. 

Kent, according to history, was celebrated for the number and 
extent of ancient parks. Of fifty-three, however, during the reign 
of Elizabeth only about eight remain. 

Although the soils of Kent are mostly of chalk, gravel, and clay, 
yet they exist in such variety as to be adapted to almost every 
purpose of agriculture. Thus the Isle of Thanet, with a rich 
mould on a chalk foundation, produces abundantly wheat, barley, 
oats, and other valuable grains; filberts are grown successfully on 
gravelly and rocky soils ; other districts grow freely on a heavy 
clay mixed with shells from the sea-shore, each having their dis- 
tinctive value under the culture of Kentish farmers, who have won 
considerable reputation. 

The London markets are largely supplied from Kent with the 
finest of fruits and vegetables. Where is the visitor to this health- 
restoring county who, whilst luxuriating in its picturesque beau- 
ties, has not felt tempted when beholding its orchards borne down 
with magnificent fruits ? 

Hops are cultivated to an immense extent ; nearly half the con- 
sumption of the entire nation is grown in Kent, which gives 
employment to great numbers of the neighbouring poor, as well as 
in the manufacture of bags or pockets. During harvest many 
thousands of men, women, and children are imported from Ireland, 
and all parts of the United Kingdom, as pickers of this valuable 
product, — called, during the reign of Henry VIII., * The wicked 
weed.'' 

Romney Marsh has been from time immemorial devoted to 
grazing. The maintenance of its embankments is vested in lords 
of neighbouring manors, who are designated ' The Lords of the 
Marsh.' It consists of some twenty thousand acres of rich soft 
loam, intermixed with shells and sand. From one hundred and 
fifty to two hundred thousand sheep, besides oxen, are annu- 
ally grazed on this level, a number by far exceeding that of any 
other district in England of like dimensions. Sheep fed on this 
marsh are much celebrated for excellence of flavour and superiority 
of wool. The trunks of immense trees have been frequently dug 
up, resembling, both in colour and hardness, the wood known as 
Lignum vita. 

Every luxury that can be desired is produced in Kent and sent 
to London in large quantities. The meats, as already shown, 
especially mutton, are in large demand, and secure the best of 
prices ; poultry large and well fattened ; fish excellent, caught on 
its own shores and promptly sent to market ; oysters superior to all 
others ; venison and game abundant ; luscious fruits and vegetables, 
including asparagus, second to none ; and if we add hops (without 
which where would be our sparkling ' October?'), nothing is wanting 



22 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

that can gratify the palate of the epicure, or of the less craving of 
mankind. 

Marble is a product of Kent, known as Bethersden marble, the 
name of the place near Ashford where found. It was formerly in 
considerable request for pillars in churches, tombs, monuments, and 
ornamental chimneypieces. It is mostly grey and turbinated, and 
said to be brittle and easily broken after a few years' exposure to 
the atmosphere — hence the demand has become inconsiderable. 

Ragstone is quarried near Maidstone, and carried to market on 
the Thames and Medway. It is a valuable product, and in good 
request for public building in London and elsewhere. The new 
church of St. Philip, Kennington, lately consecrated by the Bishop 
of London, is built of Kentish ragstone, with carved facings, and 
presents a handsome appearance. 

Salt is another natural product of Kent, obtainable at Sandwich 
and the Isle of Thanet. 

Pyrites and Limestone abound in Kent, the former in the rocks 
of the Isle of Sheppey, and the latter in green sand formation- 
well as in quarries at Maidstone. 

Chalk for ages has been an article of commerce, dug from t 1 e 
long range of hills in the central and eastern parts of Kent, ter- 
minating in the cliffs at Dover. These formations contain nodules 
of flint and fossilised organic remains. The chalk is either ma 
into lime, and shipped on the Thames or Medway. or supplied to 
numberless craft leaving the port of London, as ballast, at eithir 
Northfleet or Gravesend. 

Lime was from a very early date an article of commerce. We 
read that the Danes and other foreign nations, many centuries 
since, purchased lime in Kent; and also that, when the'old wall of 
London was thoroughly repaired between Aldgate, Cripplegate. an I 
Aldersgate, in the year 1477, the lime was brought from Kent, near 
Northrleet. 

Flint was extensively used by the ancients as well as chalk for 
building, of which we have ample evidence in the grand ruins spread 
over the face of this county ; it was also used in the ceramic art. 
and in the manufacture of glass, and is still in request for build 
purposes, for decorative walls, and for the ornamentation of gar 
walks and grotto- work. 

Iron Ore, which is found in the Weald, or lowlands, was for- 
merly extensively worked and manufactured between the Homes- 
dale Vale and the Hastings Ridge, until sea-coal became the sub- 
stitute for charcoal, when, the cost of labour not being compensal 
it was abandoned as a failure in commerce. 

The people of Kent may be distinguished as nobility, gentry. 
men, tradesmen, artificers, seafaring men, and labourers, whose"; 
sessions in it were at first described as k Knights Fee * and ' GaveUktM 
the former relating to the soldier, and the latter to the husbandman. 



PEODUCTS AND RESOURCES. 23 

The Yeomanry comprehend the principal farmers and landowners, 
who are mostly rich, and are generally styled 'gentlemen farmers' 
The common yeomanry, as implied, are working farmers ; this class 
generally hire a single farm, in addition to the land they may have 
inherited ; from these come the labourers, the eldest son succeeding 
to the homestead, and the rest sharing in their father's land by the 
custom of ' Gavelkind.' Hence, from the wide distribution and 
number of freeholds belonging to all grades, a good feeling generally 
exists between the gentry and yeomanry, their lands being every- 
where intermixed. 

Gavelkind, or the common law of Kent, refers to the tenure of 
land. When the kingdoms of the heptarchy were united in the 
ninth century, Kent retained much of its former importance, through 
which it is said that William the Conqueror, after his victory at 
Hastings, entered into a convention with the people of Kent, se- 
curing to them their ancient rights and privileges, as the condition 
of their admitting his claim to the crown ; thus the custom of 
' Gavelkind ' has been preserved in this county, while it has been 
abolished in almost every other part of England, and cannot be 
taken away by any change of tenure, or by any other means than 
by Act of Parliament. 

The customs incident to ' Gavelkind 1 are, — that the husband, 
after the death of his wife, enjoys a moiety of her inheritance in 
courtesy, whether he has children by her or not, until he again mar- 
ries ; the wife- also in like manner claims a moiety of his lands so 
long as she remains unmarried. Lands in 4 Gavelkind 1 are not 
forfeited to the Crown, even if the tenant be convicted of felony. 
Gavelkind lands descend in equal shares to all the sons, and if no 
sons, then to the daughters in just proportions : formerly it was part 
of the custom, after payment of debts and funeral expenses, to divide 
the residue into three parts, — one for the payment of legacies, a 
second for the education of the children, and the remainder for the 
benefit of the widow. It is from this law, doubtless, that Kent 
boasts its long race of yeomen, which exempted the natives from the 
tenure of bondage generally imposed in olden times, when it was 
only necessary for a man to prove thas his father was born in Kent 
to establish his freedom. 



24 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 



TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 



CANTERBURY. 

Chapter I. 

The city of Canterbury, as the capital of Kent and the see of the 
Primate of All England, claims the foremost place in our topogra- 
phical sketches. 

Canterbury (the Roman Durovernum, and the Saxon Cantwara- 
byrig) is about fifty-five miles S.E. of London by road ; in history 
it is famous as the scene of many battles during the wars with the 
Romans, Saxons, and Normans. 

According to some writers, a castle was erected here in the time 
of Ludhudibras, who, Stow says, lived eight hundred and thirty- 
six years before Christ, and founded this city. Kilburn, on the 
other hand, ascribes to Julius Csesar the first castle, which Hengist 
(King of Kent) gave to Lodias, a Saxon, who resided therein, and 
named it after himself as Lodias' Castle. It was afterwards de- 
stroyed by the Danes when they burned Canterbury, and remained 
a ruin until the Conquest. William built on the ancient foundation 
another castle, which he garrisoned with seven hundred men, and 
surrounded by a wall six feet in thickness and nearly two miles in 
circumference, with a deep ditch in front, called ' the Ditch of the 
Ballium,' or advanced work. 

The passage from the city lay over a bridge, and beyond that 
through a gate, built at the entrance of the castle: little of the 
outworks are remaining except the foundations. The ruined body 
of the castle, however, is still standing ; it is built of rough stone. 
and is nearly square, each external side measuring about eighty- 
seven feet in length, ten feet in thickness, and fifty teet in height ." 

Worthgate is universally acknowledged to be of great anti- 
quity. Leland says, * The most ancient building of the toiciie appeanth 
yn the Castel, and at Ryder 's-gate, where appere long Briton bri ! . 



CANTERBURY. 25 

Grose, in his ' Antiquities/ adds, * The old way to London was along 
Castle-street, and through this gate,' which Somner considers took 
its name from the castle — Worth signifying fort or castle. The 
height of the gate, from the crown to the ground, is thirteen feet ; 
seven feet is of brick, the remainder of squared stone. 

The ruins of the Chapel of St. Pancrace stand south-east of the 
Abbey-close, and are considered to be of great antiquity. Thorn 
supposes it to have been a place of idol worship before Augustine 
came, and afterwards consecrated to the service of God. The Ve- 
nerable Bede questions Thorn's accuracy ; while Grose, remarking 
on the east window as being of pointed architecture, invalidates any 
pretensions to that portion being of very remote antiquity. Batteley, 
in his additions to Somner, pronounces this chapel as built by King 
Eadbald in honour of the Virgin Mary, and that St. Dunstan spent, 
at midnight, much time therein at his devotions. 

Augustine founded a monastery in the year 605, which was de- 
dicated to the Apostles Paul and Peter. It will be remembered that 
Augustine was the instrument by which the Saxon King of Kent, 
Ethelbert. was converted from paganism to Christianity, and who 
gave lands for the erection of a monastery, which he designed to be 
the future place of sepulture for the Kings of Kent ; he also gave 
his palace at Canterbury, it being prohibited by the law of the 
Twelve Tables to bury in any city. Archbishop Dunstan, in 987, 
added St. Augustine to the former dedication of this monastery, by 
which name it has since been commonly known. Grose asserts 
that it possessed 9,862 acres of land; that benefactors, royal, noble, 
and private, vied with each other in enriching this the parent of 
our universities, which was, as Black phrases it, ' the seat of letters 
and study at a time when Cambridge was a desolate fen, and 
Oxford a tangled forest in a wide waste of waters.' 

Amongst its many privileges and immunities was the right of 
magistracy, or the power of judging thieves taken within its juris- 
diction, and, for a long period, the liberty of mintage. 

It possessed the exclusive right of cemetery for the Kings of Kent, 
until the days of Archbishop Brightwald, during which period 
Kings Ethelbert, Eadbald, Ercombert, Lothair, Edelbert, and 
Widred were buried there. 

In 1011 this monastery was plundered by the Danes ; in 1168 
the church was almost destroyed by fire, and a fearful storm in 1271 
nearly ruined the entire monastery by inundation. 

The numerous buildings constituting this religious house were 
the creations of different individuals, at different periods : Ethelbert's 
tower, so called from a bell of that name hanging in it, was built 
by Archbishop Eadsin ; a church built by Eadbalden was taken 
down and rebuilt by the Abbot Wido in 1099 ; the dormitories and 
chapter-house were erected by Hugo Florie, a kinsman of William 
Rufus, and the cemetery gate by a monk. 



26 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

At the resignation of this monastery to Henry VIII. in 1539, the 
establishment comprised a lord abbot and sixty monks, after which 
it remained in possession of the crown until the end of the reign of 
Edward VI (1553), when a portion became the mansion of Lord 
Wolton — at which palace, it is said, Charles I. consummated his mar- 
riage with the Princess Henrietta of France, a.d. 1625. 

Some of the exterior walls of this monastery still remain, as well 
as traces of buildings evidently erected at different periods, demon- 
strating that a large surface was once covered by them. In 1 7 
the tower was ordered to be taken down for the value of the material, 
but time had so hardened the cement that the cost of labour by far 
exceeded the worth of the stone, when the project was abandoned. 
The precincts of the Augustine monastery described an area of 
sixteen acres, and the length of the west front alone of the abbey 
measured 250 feet. 

After the dissolution many of the buildings were pulled down ; 
still some were left to moulder and decay, of which a few choice 
relics remain, to mark the spot where Christianity was first pro- 
pounded to a nation of idolaters — that spot where King Ethelbert. 
in the sixth century, built the first Christian church, the precui 
of the present cathedral of Canterbury, amidst the most formidable 
of impediments, and from which sprung the light of Gospel truth — 
that Gospel which Britons have sent to every land and tribe in their 
native tongue, which, like good seed, may lie long in the soil, but 
which germinates, though in darkness, and rises at last into day- 
light, and ripens into the nutritious grain, blossoms in the beaut itul 
flower, and expands into the vast and majestic monarch of the for* 



Chapter II. 

Canterbury Cathedral stands the proud ornament of the city, 
a glorious relic of early Church history, the grand mausoleum of 
kings, princes, and the most distinguished of our early ecclesiastics. 
It is built in the form of a double cross, and displays in beauty of 
architecture every variety of style, from the eleventh to the "six- 
teenth century. The length of this magnificent structure, from e 
to west is 514 feet ; length of the choir, ISO feet ; height of gi 
tower, 235 feet ; north-west tower, 100 feet ; and of the south- n 
tower, 130 feet. 

^ The present cathedral stands on the site of a church built in the 
ninth century, which was partially destroyed by lire by the Danes 
in 1011 and afterwards restored, but again became nearly a ruin 
from a like conflagration. Archbishop Lanfranc caused the ruins 
to be cleared towards the close of the eleventh century, and founded 
the present gorgeous pile. 

Archbishop Anselm, his successor, continued the work, and built 



CANTERBURY. 27 

the choir and the eastern end on a scale of greater magnificence ; 
Anselm's successor, Archbishop Ralph, completed the whole; which 
according to Gervase, was dedicated in 1130 ' with a splendour and 
magnificence which had never been heard of on earth since the dedica- 
tion of Solomon's Temple, ' in the presence of Henry I. and his 
Consort, King David of Scotland, and nearly the whole of the 
nobles and prelates. 

The principal entrance is from the south. The west window is 
rich in painted glass, with full-length figures of Canute, Edward the 
Confessor, Harold, William the Conqueror, William Rufus, Henry 
I., and Stephen, with other figures of the Apostles and Saints ; the 
north window of the west transept is filled with stained glass, and 
another window to correspond at the south end. The Dean's chapel 
is an exquisite example of pointed architecture : the north division 
of this transept is called the ' Martyrdom] being the spot where 
Becket was murdered ; the choir aisles are interesting from the fact 
of the walls being those built by Lanfranc eight centuries since, at 
the end of which is a semicircular aisle surrounding the chapel of 
the Holy Trinity : here was formerly the venerated Shrine of 
Becket, where pilgrims crowded to pay their devotions and enrich 
the treasury of the Church. To form some approximate idea of the 
immense value of the shrine, we quote Stow's description, wherein 
he says : — ' It was built about a mans height, all of stone ; then up- 
wards of timber, plain ; within the which was a chest of iron, con- 
taining the bones of Thomas Becket, skull and all, ivith the wound of 
his death, and the piece cut out of his skull laid in the same wound ; — ■ 
these hones, by command of Lord Cromwell (September 1538J were 
there and then burned : the timber-work of this Shrine, on the outside, 
was covered with plates of gold, damasked with gold wire, which ground 
of gold was again covered with jewels of gold, as rings ten or twelve 
crumped with gold wire into the said ground of gold, many of those 
rings having stones in them; broaches, images, angels, precious stones, 
and great orient pearls ; the spoil of which shrine in gold and precious 
stones filled two great chests, requiring six or seven strong men to con- 
vey each one from the church.' 

Anterior to the dissolution there were nearly forty altars in the 
cathedral, many of which were splendid in an eminent degree. 
The high altar especially is said to have been ' ornamented as richly 
as gold, silver, jewellery, and costly art could adorn it] and that the 
4 richest monarchs might be considered as mere beggars in comparison 
with the abundance of silver and gold which it exhibited] The Sacristy, 
according to Hasted, 'was filled with jewellery and with candlesticks, 
cups, pixes, and crosses of every size, made of silver and gold.' The 
pomp attendant on their religious ceremonies in those times may in 
some degree be estimated, for, according to Batteley, ' seven wax 
candles in seven branches weighed fifty pounds — procession candles 



28 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

weighed ten pounds each, and the weight of the Pascal taper was three 
hundred pounds. 9 

The vestments and copes of the priests were beyond number, and 
of the richest damask and velvet gorgeously embroidered with gold 
and silver, and of immense value, as shown by the inventory taken 
at the dissolution, when they were carried away for the king's use. 
We have no estimate of the value or number of the relics, although 
' Dart's Canterbury ' fills eight folio pages with a partial 
description of them. 

The east transept has a window filled with fine painted glass, 
representing Ezekiel, Daniel, Isaiah, and Jeremiah ; the Norman 
architecture in this transept leaves little doubt of its being a portion 
of Archbishop Lanfranc's building early in the eleventh century. 

The nave has an aisle on each side, from which it is separated by 
eight bays, supported on columns. The choir-screen was constructed 
very early in the fourteenth century, and is a grand specimen of 
rich carving and niched statues. The organ, formerly on the screen, 
is now hidden * in the triforium of the south aisle of the choir ;' still 
it is played in the choir, the action being brought down the south 
wall, and then under the pavement to the manuals, upwards of 
ninety feet from the instrument. 

The monuments in the choir are mostly of black and white 
marble and alabaster, richly sculptured and otherwise decorated by 
gilding and painting; amongst them are those of Archbishops 
Meopham, who died in 1333 ; Stratford, died 1341 ; Bradwardine, 
died 1349; Chieheley, died 1443; Kemp, died 1454; Bourchier, 
died 1486 ; Reynolds, Walter, and that of Archbishop Sudbury, 
who was cruelly beheaded, in 1381, by the infamous Jack Cade. 

In the chapel of the Holy Trinity are numerous tombs and 
monuments, rich in sumptuous sculpture and high decoration ; 
amongst the most noteworthy is the tomb of William the Conqueror, 
supporting a full-length figure in armour, the head resting on a 
helmet, the hands clasped, and the whole gilded. The monument 
of Henry IV. and his Queen Joan of Navarre (1413) ; their figures, 
in royal robes crowned, rest on the tomb. The tomb of Edward 
the Black Prince next arrests attention, supporting the figure of 
himself as a warrior in full armour. A rich cenotaph to the memory 
of Archbishop Courtenay represented in his pontificals ; this tomb 
is a highly decorated specimen of pointed Gothic architecture. The 
most ancient tomb is opposite to the cenotaph, and supposed to be 
that of Archbishop Theobald, probably erected after the rebuilding 
of this part of the cathedral. 

We must now, however reluctantly, take leave of this gorgeous 
sanctuary, so full of interest as an historical monument, marking the 
grandeur of the past, in beauty of architecture, richness of decorations, 
and, above all, as a temple dedicated to God almost from the dawn of 
Christianity in Britain. 



CANTERBURY. 29 



Chapter III. 



Ancient historians assert that at the time of the Conquest 
(a.d. 1066) Canterbury exceeded London in its buildings, and that 
by the bounty of its prelates it rose to such splendour, as even, foi 
the beauty of its private buildings, to equal any city in Britain, but 
for the magnificence of its churches, and their number, to surpass 
the best of them. 

The prelates in those days were remarkable for hospitality, and 
lived in common with their monks, until Archbishop Lanfranc came 
to the see in 1070, when he abolished community of living, and 
built a distinct palace for his separate residence, of which a few 
remains may be traced. Archbishop Hubert built in the thirteenth 
century a new palace, and a noble hall, in which his hospitality, as 
well as that of his successors, was dispensed with great liberality. 

It was in this hall that the nuptials of Edward I., in the year 1299, 
were kept in great splendour, after the king's marriage to Margaret, 
sister of the King of France ; we read that the feast lasted four days, 
and that most of the nobility were present. Archbishop Warham 
also was distinguished for the festivities of his time ; he gave a 
magnificent ball, during the Whitsuntide of 1520, to the Emperor 
Charles V., who danced with the Queen of England, and Henry 
VIII. with the Emperor's mother, the Queen of Arragon. Queen 
Elizabeth partook of a grand banquet in this hall on the 7th Septem- 
ber, 1573, being the anniversary of her birth, at which were present 
a brilliant assemblage of the leading nobility. This hall was taken 
down during the Commonwealth. 

St. Martin's Church calls for special notice from its remote 
antiquity ; it is built mostly of Roman and British bricks, which are 
invariably considered proof's of very early date ; it has a nave and 
chancel. This venerable sanctuary stands about half a mile from 
the wall of the city, on the side of a hill, and is supposed to have been 
one of two churches built by the Christians of the Roman army 
in the time of Lucius, who lived in the year 182 ; if so, and, 
historians are fairly agreed, this must be one of, if not the oldest 
church in the kingdom. 

Gostling tells us that the materials and the architecture of this 
most simple church fully warrant this conclusion ; he further assumes 
that Queen Bertha might find it more convenient to pay her devotions 
in this obscure chapel than to erect one more suitable to her rank, 
while her husband, King Ethelbert, and his subjects were idolaters. 

Here, therefore, was a Christian church and congregation settled, 
with a queen and her chaplain (Luidhard, Bishop of Soissons), before 
St. Augustine and his monks made their appearance in England, and 
where, according to Somner, did he and his fellow-labourers resort to 
their devotions on their first arrival, by the license of King Ethel- 
bert. The visitor to this venerable piece of antiquity must not 



SO JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

omit noticing the font, probably of the same date as the structure, 
where seventeen hundred years since children were baptized in the 
Christian faith. During the last century, a Roman tessellated 
pavement was found in Canterbury four feet below the surface ; it 
was a fair specimen of mosaic, of a diamond pattern, the tessellce of 
burnt earth, red, yellow, black, and white ; their shapes and sizes 
varying, some being an inch across, others exceedingly small, laid 
on a bed of thick hard mortar almost sufficient to allow of its 
removal entire : some three feet by five was recovered. Further por- 
tions were buried under party-walls, which prevented their dimen- 
sions being ascertained: in 1824, however, while digging the 
foundations of some houses, other parts of this pavement were dis- 
covered, which are now in the possession of a gentleman resident in 
Canterbury. 

Dane John Hill is supposed to be the work of the Danes when they 
besieged Canterbury during the reign of King Ethelbert. This im- 
mense mound has been carefully planted and laid out as a promen: 
with walks and beautiful shrubs ; the lower part of the enclosure is 
shaded with poplar trees ; upon the top is a round gravelled plat and 
a stone pillar terminating with an ornamental urn, which was erected 
by subscription in 1803, and £60 per annum voted in perpetuity 
the corporation, as the salary of a gardener for keeping the whole in 
repair. From this eminence, the city, the majestic cathedral, the 
rarrounding villages, and the gently rising hills form a most beautiful 
and pleasing landscape. Formerly a deep and wide ditch encircled 
the base, in which were found Roman coins, the head of a spear, 
spurs of brass, and other interesting relics. 

We shall conclude our chapters on Canterbury by culling from 
Hasted, Madox, Ireland, and others, some of the remarkable 
events that occurred in this city : — 

King Henry I., in 1129, kept his court at Canterbury with great 
splendour. 

King Stephen was supposed by Hasted to have died here. 25th 
October 1154. 

William King of Scotland, in 1189, paid homage to Richard I. 
at Canterbury. 

King John, in 1204, kept the festival of Christmas here with 
great splendour, as also did King Henry III. in 1263. 

In the reign of Edward L, in the year 1272, a fearful tempest 
bursty over this city, when the inundations submerged many 
dwellings and drowned several persons. 

In 1299 Canterbury received a shock from an earthquake, which 
was felt many miles distant. 

In 1347 a famous tournament was celebrated in this citv. when 
Thomas de Grey received from Edward III. k a hood of white 
cloth richly embroidered with figures, which buttoned before with 
costly pearls.' 



ROCHESTER. 31 

At mid-day on the 21st May, 1382, another earthquake shattered 
the eastern window of the chapter-house, and damaged many 
buildings of note. 

In 1469 Edward IV. repaired to Canterbury, when the mayor, 
Nicholas Faunte, and others were executed for having abetted 
Falconbridge. 

Henry VIII. met the Emperor Charles V. at Canterbury (1520) 
with the nobility of England and Spain, when they were entertained 
at a grand banquet and ball by Archbishop Warham. 

In 1573 Queen Elizabeth kept her court at the Palace of St. 
Augustine, where she was sumptuously feasted by Archbishop 
Parker. 

In 1625, as already stated, Charles I., with his consort, celebrated 
their marriage at the Palace of St. Augustine's Monastery. 

Charles II. with his brothers, the Dukes of York and Gloucester, 
sojourned three days at the Palace of St. Augustine on their way 
to London in 1660. 

George IV., when Prince of Wales, in 1798, was presented with 
the freedom of Canterbury, and dined with the mayor ; he after- 
wards patronised a public ball, in aid of funds for the relief of the 
widows and children of those who had fallen in the victory just 
gained by Nelson. 



ROCHESTEK. 
Chapter I. 

The city of Rochester may appropriately follow that of Canter- 
bury, as being an episcopal see, as well as a place of considerable 
importance during the Roman dynasty, when it was the accustomed 
pass over the River Medway. 

Most of our antiquaries are unanimous in allowing it to be the 
Durobrivce of Antonius, situated twenty- seven miles from London. 
The remains of the Roman road ( Watling Street), visible from 
Shinglewell, by Cobham Park, though lost in the coppice, is again to 
be traced on Chatham Hill, on its way to Canterbury and Richborough. 

There is no evidence of a bridge at Rochester over the Medway 
for centuries after the Romans ; probably a ferry was the mode of 
conveyance. There was, however, a bridge before the Conquest, 
and certain lands were made chargeable for its maintenance, and 
which bridge, like the present, was in the line of street between 
Rochester and Strood. Being built of wood it required frequent 
reparation, and becoming dangerous for passengers, Sir Robert 
Knolles and Sir John de Cobham built a bridge of stone in the 
fourteenth century. 

King Ethelbert built the church of St. Andrew in 597, and made 



32 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

it a bishop's see, which gave it a distinguished place in ecclesias- 
tical and civil history. 

When Ethelred, King of Mercia, invaded Kent in 676, he de- 
stroyed this city, and returned with the plunder to his own king- 
dom. Rochester frequently suffered from the ravages of the Danes, 
and at length submitted, with the rest of the nation, to the yoke of 
these marauders. Henry III., however, resolved to augment its 
strength, when he repaired and restored the city walls, and com- 
menced a large ditch. 

Rochester, from lying in the direct route from the Continent to 
London, was famous for royal and illustrious visitors. Without 
plunging deeply into history for early instances, it may suffice to 
commence with Queen Elizabeth, who in 1573 abode in this i 
five days, attended Divine service at the cathedral, and dined i 
Mr. Watts at his house on Bully Hill. 

King James I. and the King of Denmark were present at a sermon 
preached in the cathedral in 1606 by Dr. Pany, Dean of I 
who was esteemed as the most eloquent preacher of his time. 

King Charles II., on his restoration in 1660, wta Bumpl i 
entertained by the mayor and corporation, who presented him « 
a costly silver bason and ewer. 

King James II., on his abdication, came to Rochester (Dece 
19th, 1688), and resided with Sir Richard Head until the S 
that month, when he embarked on board a tender in the Med 

Her late Royal Highness the Duche>s of Kent, with 11< 
then Princess Victoria, visited Rochester 29th November 1- 
where they remained until the following day. 

In the year 1856 Her Majesty, with that sympathy so beautifully 
adorning her character, frequently passed through 1 r on her 

way to the military hospital at Chatham, when visiting the sick and 
suffering soldiers from the Crimea. 

William the Conqueror gave Rochester to his half-brother Odo, 
Bishop of Bayeux, on whose disgrace, in luS3, it was confiscated to 
the crown. 

Henry I. let the city to farm at pleasure to the townsmen, at an 
annual rent of £20, and granted to Bishop Gundulph and the eh.. 
at Rochester one fair, yearly. 

Henry II., by charter, also granted the city for £20 a year, with 
sundry other privileges. 

Richard I. commanded that no person, except his own servants, 
should purchase food in the city until after the monks of St. An- 
drew's had been supplied, much to the disgust and ineonvenu 
of the citizens. 

Formerly atoll called Maltolt was received from all | ass- 

ing through the city to embark for the Holv Laud, which 
abolished by Richard I. 

Henry III. confirmed the charter of Henry II., and in recomj 



ROCHESTER. 33 

for the faithful services of the citizens, remitted part of their annual 
fee, and extended their privileges. 

Edward L, in the eighth year of his reign (a.d. 1280), granted Ro- 
chester to John de Cobham at a like annual rental ; but Edward 
III., in 1331, reconfirmed to the citizens King Henry Ill's charter. 
Henry VI. granted to the Bailiff and Citizens the passage of the 
ferry between the city and Strood, the bridge being broken. 

Edward IV., in 1460, in consideration of the loyalty and services 
of the citizens of Rochester, confirmed to them former charters, and 
granted that, instead of a bailiff, they should be constituted as the 
* Mayor and Citizens.' These charters and privileges were again con- 
firmed by Henry VIII. and Charles I. 

The City of Rochester consists of one principal street of consider- 
able length, having several avenues of houses on either side ; the 
new bridge over the Medway bounds it westward, and the town of 
Chatham towards the east. The houses are generally well-built, 
and inhabited by persons of wealth and condition. The Town 
Hall, on the north side of High Street, was erected in 1687. It is a 
handsome structure, built of brick, supported by stone columns of 
the Doric order. The ancient guildhall of the city stood on the 
spot where the present clock-house is erected, in which is the clock 
given by Sir Cloudesley Shovel in 1706. 

Richard Watts, an eminent merchant of Rochester, founded, in 
1579, a Hospital for six poor travellers, not being ' rogues or proc- 
ters;' each traveller to have a lodging for the night, a supper, and 
fourpence on his departure next morning. Out of funds bequeathed 
by the same noble benefactor, new Almshouses for twenty poor 
men and women have been built on the Maidstone Road, over the 
entrance of which, under an archway, is carved in stone,' Watts 9 
Almshouses, erected a.d. 1858/ A monument containing the bust of this 
excellent man is placed in the south transept of Rochester Cathedral. 
Sir Joseph Williamson's Free School, in High Street, was 
founded for the education of the sons of Rochester freemen. Many 
distinguished naval officers owe their early education to this school, 
which formerly was more devoted to the acquirement of mathe- 
matics than at present. 

Rochester, from its having been a station situated at so important 
a passage over the Medway, might well be supposed to have been 
fortified by the Romans ; such an opinion is strengthened by the 
Roman bricks still visible in several parts of the walls, and the 
variety of Roman coins, from the time of Vespasian downwards, 
which have been found in the ruins of the castle. In the time of 
the Saxon Heptarchy Rochester continued a fortress of consider- 
able account. The entire city, as well as the church, was within 
the walls, comprehended under the name of Castrum and Castellum 
Hrofesceastre, by which the whole was understood, and not any 
particular castle or tower in it. 



34 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

The Castle, the venerable relic of -which has for many centuries 
attracted the attention of every traveller, is situated on an eminence 
joining the River Medway, at the south-west angle of the city walls; 
it is nearly quadrangular, three hundred feet square within the 
walls, which were seven feet in thickness, and twenty feet above 
the present level, with embrasures ; three sides were surrounded 
with a deep ditch, the Medway flowing on the remaining side ; in 
the angles and sides of the walls were several square towers. That 
noble ruin usually called Rochester Castle was the keep or large 
tower which stands at the south-east corner of it, so lofty as to 
be seen several miles distant; it is a quadrangle of upwards of 
seventy feet square at the base, and the walls are twelve feet thick. 
There were three stories of large and lofty apartments, and beneath, 
a vault or dungeon for prisoners ; in the centre of the building a 
well, two feet nine inches in diameter, wrought in the partition- wall, 
ascends through all the stories to the top of the tower, with each of 
which it has a communication. This tower, with its embattlements, 
is upwards of one hundred feet in height ; a spiral staircase of 138 
steps, in one angle, leads to the summit, from which a grand view 
of the surrounding country is obtained. Considering the ages this 
fabric has been neglected, there are few buildings, perhaps, so perfect. 

Henry I., in 1127, granted the custody of the castle to the Arch- 
bishop of Canterbury. Robert, Earl of Gloucester, Henry I.'s 
natural son, was afterwards a close prisoner in this fortress. 

Henry III., in the year 1264, greatly increased the fortifications 
of Rochester Castle, when it was garrisoned to resist a siege. 
Shortly afterwards Simon, Earl of Leicester, marched into Kent to 
besiege it. Arriving at the western side, he found the passage of 
the bridge disputed ; after being twice repulsed, the bridge (being 
of wood) was burned, and the enemy passed the river, spoiled 
the church, made a furious assault on the castle, and became 
master of every part of it, excepting the great tower, which resisted 
the siege during seven days, when the earl suddenly returned to 
London. 

Gundulph, Bishop of Rochester, who had superintended the 
building of the White Tower in London, erected this tower in the 
eleventh century, which bears his name, and has proved a lasting 
monument of his fame through succeeding ages. 

In 1272 there were two priests (kings chaplains) officiating in 
the castle, whose stipends were fifty shillings a year each. ^ Sir 
John de Cobham was constable of this castle" in 12S9. 

King James I., in 1613, granted the property or fee-simple of the 
Castle of Rochester to Sir Anthony Weldon, since which time it 
has continued in the same line of ownership. 

Many estates in this county, Surrey, and Essex are held of the 
Castle of Rochester, by the tenure of * Castle-guard ; ' of these the 
manor of Swanscombe is the principal. 



ROCHESTER. 35 

Chapter II. 

Although there is no mention of a bridge over the Medway at 
Rochester until the reign of Henry I., yet it is evident there must 
have been one some years before ; for Ernulfus, Bishop of Rochester 
a.d. 1116, has inserted in the Textus Roffensis several regulations 
for the repair of Rochester Bridge as an ancient custom. 

Lambarde has given an extract from the Textus Roffensis, which 
describes this bridge as being made of wood, with nine piers and 
ten spaces equal in length to four hundred and thirty-one feet, which 
corresponds to the breadth of the river where it stood, in the line 
between Rochester and Strood. It is further shown that 'the 
owners of the manors and lands chargeable with the repairs were 
used, by ancient custom, to elect two men from amongst themselves 
to be wardens, or overseers, and that there was a wooden tower 
erected on the bridge, with strong gates, as a fortification for the 
defence of this passage into the city.' 

Stow, in his Annals, writes 'that when King John, in 1215, 
besieged and took Rochester Castle, he attempted to burn the 
bridge ; but Robert Fitzwalter put out the fire, and saved it.' In 
1281 several of the piers were swept away after a sudden thaw, and 
passengers had to cross in boats. It was repaired, but very imper- 
fectly, in 1311-12, for Edward III., having made war with France, 
found it unsafe for the passage of his army. There is mention 
made of a drawbridge and barbican on the west side, both of which 
belonged to the king ; the master and wardens of Strood Hospital 
being bound to repair the bridge and wharf, from the drawbridge 
to its western end. Sir Robert Knolles and Sir John de Cobham 
built a new bridge of stone nearer to the castle, where the tide ran 
less strong, which was completed about the fifteenth year of King 
Richard II. (a.d. 1392). In 1394 it was enacted in parliament ' that 
all who were accustomed to pay any rents or customs to the old bridge 
should thenceforth pay them to the new one.' The length of this 
substantial bridge of stone was five hundred and sixty-six feet, with 
a stone parapet on each side, coped and surmounted with a railing of 
iron. It had eleven arches, supported by massive piers. It was 
repaired in 1492, but afterwards wholly neglected, and became so 
dilapidated that decay appeared inevitable, notwithstanding a toll 
had been levied on all passengers and carriages towards its support 
in the reign of Queen Mary, and also in that of Elizabeth. 

Queen Elizabeth, however, instituted a commission, in 1574, to 
examine into these defects and devise means for their remedy, 
which commission was composed of the great officers of state and 
nobility, with several knights and gentlemen of the county. 

In the execution of this important trust, though the Lord Trea- 
surer, Lord Admiral, and many of the aristocracy gave themselves 
earnestly to the work, yet Sir Roger Manwood, Chief Baron of the 

d2 



36 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

Exchequer, deserves special commendation for the laborious part he 
took throughout the whole. First he got the leases of the bridge 
lands cancelled which had been granted for long terms at minimum 
rents ; he then devised a plan for the perfect reformation and future 
conduct of both officers and matters relating to it, and caused all 
fees from lands tributary to the maintenance of the bridge to be 
enforced, which had not been done for many years; and, as a 
climax to his laudable zeal, he procured, in 1576, a statute for the 
better management of the trusts, whereby the estate became greatly 
improved, and the bridge repaired and ornamented. 

In 1832 the wardens had a reserve-fund amounting to £25,000, 
and an annual income of £3,000, when they proposed the construc- 
tion of a new bridge, the wear of nearly five centuries having rendered 
it expedient to determine future proceedings from the dilapidated 
condition of the old one. Sir William Cubitt was instructed to 
prepare the design for a new bridge, which was commenced in 
1850, and opened on Wednesday, April 13, 1856. This bridge, 
like the former wooden bridge, connects Eochester and Strood in a 
direct line. It is built of iron, 485 feet in length, 40 feet in width ; 
and has three arches, two of 140 feet span, and the centre one 170; at 
the west end is a swing-bridge for the passage of large vessels. The 
bridge-wardens have in progress considerable improvements for 
widening the approaches from Rochester. The ancient Crown 
Hotel, immortalised by Shakspeare in his ' Henry IV..' has been 
demolished, and a handsome new hotel erected nearly adjoining. 

Sir John de Cobham, one of the founders of the stone bridge, 
built, in 1369, a chapel or chantry at the east end, of which an 
archway and portions of the wall still remain. In 1735 the bridge- 
wardens erected, on part of the site, a neat stone building, where 
they held their meetings. 

St. Andrew's Church, built by King Ethelbert. at the instance of 
St. Augustine, towards the close of the sixth century, had a monas- 
tery adjoining it. Augustine appointed Justus to be bishop in 
604, and placed secular priests in the monastery. When Gun- 
dulph became bishop he displaced the secular priests and substituted 
Benedictine monks, of whom there were sixty at his death. Bishop 
Gundulph rebuilt the church and enlarged the priory. 

From the Conquest to the reign of Henry V11I. nearly every 
king granted some liberties and privileges as well to the Bishop of 
Eochester as to the prior of the convent, and confirmed also the 
grants of his predecessors. 

The first prior was Ordowinus, who witnessed the charter of 
foundation, dated September 20, 1089. The last prior of this 
monastery was Walter Boxley: for Henry VIII., in the 31st year 
of his reign, granted a commission to the Archbishop of Canter- 
bury, Lord George Cobham, and others, to receive the surrender of 
this priory ; and accordingly the prior and convent, bv an instru- 



PwOCHESTER. ' 37 

ment under their common seal, dated April 8, 1540, gave and 
granted their monastery, churches, manors, demesnes, and mes- 
suages to King Henry VIII., which deed was executed in the 
presence of a Master in Chancery. 

The Priory of Kochester was valued at £486 lis. 5d. annual 
income, the whole of which passed into the king's hands ; who, 
although empowered by parliament to erect new sees and eccle- 
siastical bodies out of the estates belonging to suppressed monas- 
teries, allowed two years to elapse before any new ecclesiastical foun- 
dation was created at Eochester. 

Chapter III. 

On the 18th of June 1542 King Henry VIII. founded, within 
the precincts of the late monastery, Eochester Cathedral, to be the 
episcopal see of the Bishop of Eochester and his successors for 
ever ; and he appointed the late prior there the first dean of this 
church, and Hugh A price, John Wildbore, Eobert Johnson, John 
Symkins, Eobert Salisbury, and Eichard Engest the six pre- 
bendaries of it, which he incorporated by the name of ' the Dean 
and Chapter,' and granted to them 4 the site and precincts of the 
late monastery, the church, and all things whatsoever in it,' with 
the power of appointing the inferior officers of the church — the king 
reserving to himself the power of nominating the dean and six 
prebendaries. 

The Cathedral Church of Eochester is situated at a short distance 
from the south side of the High Street, within the ancient gate of 
the priory. Bishop Gundulph rebuilt this church in the year 1080, 
of which the "west front of the cathedral, with its grand entrance, 
and the nave as far as the transept, are portions. Here are some 
grand remains of Norman architecture, evidently of an early period, 
bearing the sacred stamp of venerable antiquity in artistic elabora- 
tion. The west front is eighty-one feet in breadth : the principal 
entrance is in the centre, through an arch fluted, which forms 
numerous pillars and statues, when you descend by steps into the 
cathedral. The length from west to east is 306 feet ; from the 
western entrance to the choir, 150 feet; and from the steps leading 
to the choir, 156 feet. 

There are two transepts; the western one measures 122 feet, in 
the middle of which formerly stood a steeple with a spire 156 feet 
in height, containing a peal of six bells. This spire was taken 
down and a square tower erected about 1830 : at the upper end of 
the choir is another cross aisle or transept ninety feet in length. 
Between the two transepts on the north side without the cathedral 
stands an old ruined tower, no higher than the roof of the church, 
generally allowed to have been erected by Bishop Gundulph: the 
walls are six feet thick, and the area on the inside twenty-four feet. 



38 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

On the opposite side, at the west end of the south aisle, is a chapel 
of later date, now used as the Bishop's Consistory Court. 

The choir is upwards of 636 years old, being first used at the 
consecration of Henry de Sandford in 1227. During certain repairs, 
about forty years since, some fine pointed arches, with clustered 
columns supporting a gallery under the east window, were dis- 
covered hidden behind the altarpiece, which have been carefully 
restored. Near the altar are two tombs— one supposed to be that of 
Bishop Glanville, who died 1214 ; the other of Lawrence de Martin, 
who died 1274. Another tomb, near the communion-table, is con- 
sidered to be Bishop Gundulph's ; if so, it dates back to 1 1 U7. 

The organ stands over the entrance to the choir, upon a plain 
stone screen ; it was built by Green in 1791, since which it has 
been enlarged and improved, and is now an effective instrument. 
The choral service here deserves commendation, as being rendered 
very effectively by a limited choir, uniform in attendance, and pains- 
taking, and in all respects a laudable example, as well as a rebuke, 
to many of our richly-endowed cathedrals, not excepting that of St. 
Paul's in London. 

At the north end of the upper transept is St. William's Chapel ; 
this saint, or rather this saint's repute, was a source of great profit 
to the priory, which it rose from poverty to affluence and riches. 

At the south-east corner of the same transept is a richly carved 
doorway, which formerly led to the chapter-house of the priory* 
but now to the library, which, although not numbering its tomes by 
thousands, yet possesses many rare and valuable manuscripts. Here 
is the well-known ■ Textus Roffensis,' compiled in the twelfth cen- 
tury by Bishop Ernulfus, and also another ancient manuscript, the 
* Custumale RoffenseJ supposed to be the more ancient of the two. 

Near the west end of the same aisle is St. Edmund's Chapel, 
behind the choir of which is a sort of stone chest sunk into the 
wall, and a reclining figure, much mutilated, supposed by some to 
be the tomb of Bishop Bradfield, who died in 1283. Formerly there 
were several frescoes interspersed through the cathedral, which 
have all disappeared; one in this chapel, near the tomb just men- 
tioned, represented the Virgin and Child. Descending a few steps 
is a small room formerly a dungeon. 

The crypt, which embraces three distinct orders of architecture, 
is very interesting. It is spacious and vaulted with stone : there 
are seven aisles, and traces of a chapel. The arches near the entrance 
are Saxon, those opposite Norman, and the remainder early English. 

In taking leave of Rochester Cathedral we exhume Hasted's 
graphic description of the arch of the great door, now 783 years old, 
which he designates as 'a most curious piece of workmanship; 
every stone has been engraved with some device, and it must have 
been magnificent in its original state. It is supported, the depth 
of the wall, on each side the door, by several small columns, two 



MAIDSTONE. 39 

of which are carved into statues, representing Gundulph's royal 
patrons, Henry I. and his Queen Matilda. The capitals of these 
columns, as well as the whole arch, are cut into the figures of various 
animals and flowers. The keystone of the arch seems to have been 
designed to represent Our Saviour in a niche, with an angel on each 
side ; but the head is broken off. Under this figure are twelve 
others, representing the Apostles, few of which are entire.' 

The parish church of St. Nicholas is near the north door of the 
cathedral, and was first built in 1421. In the time of Bishop 
Gundulph(A.D. 1076) there was no church, although it was aparochial 
district before the Conquest ; the- parishioners worshipped at an altar 
in the cathedral, called the * Parochial Altar of St. Nicholas,'' 

When the church was built the altar of St. Nicholas was trans 
ferred from the cathedral to the church. No description of this 
church is to be found, beyond that it remained nearly two hundred 
years, but becoming ruinous was taken down in 1620. Antiqua- 
rians, however, pronounce the walls and buttresses portions of the 
ancient structure. 

The present church was consecrated by Bishop Buckridge, 24th 
September, 1624. It extends in length 100 feet by 60 in breadth, 
and consists of a nave and two aisles, divided by columns. The 
church has recently been repaired and galleries erected, which 
detract from the architectural beauties of the building, although 
not obnoxious from dissimilarity. The Corinthian altarpiece of 
wainscot was presented by Edward Bartholomew, Esq., in 1706, 
with two silver flagons and a paten, of £30 value ; and Mr. Edward 
Harlow gave a handsome gilt cup in 1629. Mr. Francis Brook gave 
a large silver salver for the offerings at the sacrament, in 1703; 
and Mr. Henry Austen gave two handsome quarto prayer-books to 
be placed on the altar. 

The living of St. Nicholas, a vicarage, in the patronage of the 
Bishop of Rochester, recently vacant by the translation of the Rev. 
W. Conway, m.a., to a canonry in Westminster Abbey, has been 
conferred on the Rev. C. Bosanquet, incumbent of St. Osyth, Essex. 



MAIDSTONE. 

Maidstone, the assize town of Kent, lies pleasantly near the 
middle of the county, and is reputed for the dryness of the soil 
and quality of its water. 

Many Roman remains have been found here, that warrant the 
supposition of its having been a Roman station. Camden, Burton, 
and others considered it the station called by Antonius Vagniaccz; 



40 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

Nennius that it was called Ccer Meguiad, or Medway. The Saxons 
named it Medweyston, in English Medway's Town, written in 
Domesday Meddestane. 

The town is screened by hills rising from the valley. Through 
it runs the River Medway, which is of vast importance as a medium 
for considerable traffic from hence to Rochester, Chatham, and 
London. A seven-arched bridge spans the river, which affords a 
good view of fine old buildings and rich landscape. On the banks 
are numerous flour, paper, and other mills. The soil of Maidstone 
is rich and fertile, and covers an entire bed of Kentish ragstone, 
that becomes a deep sand towards the east. 

Formerly Maidstone was governed by a Portreeve and Twelve 
Brethren, but in 1550 Edward VI., under letters-patent, incor- 
porated it as the 'Mayor, Jurats, and Commonalty' these privileges 
were forfeited in 1553, when the rebellion of Sir Thomas Wyatt began 
in this town. In 1559 Queen Elizabeth restored its incorporation by 
the title of the ' Mayor and Aldermen.' According to a return in the 
eighth year of the same reign, there were 294 inhabited how 
four landiDg-places, and five vessels belonging to the town ; the 
population, which at the close of the last century numbered few 
more than 6,000, now exceeds 22,000. 

The town consists of four principal streets, meeting at the Market 
Cross, from which many others diverge. The market, granted in 
1261 by Henry III., is held weekly, and supplies abundantly 
kinds of excellent provisions; the mayor is Clerk of the Market. 

There are four fairs annually — on February 13, May 12, 
June 20, and October 27, — for the sale of cattle as well as wares. 
Maidstone was anciently part of the possessions of the see of Can- 
terbury, and the place of residence of many archbishops. Arch- 
bishop Langton lived here in the seventh year of King John : in 
1348 Archbishop Ufford commenced a new palace, which his suc- 
cessor, Simon Islip, finished. Archbishop Courtenay died here in 
1396 ; he was buried at Canterbury, but a cenotaph was erected to 
his memory in the chancel of Maidstone Church. This palace was 
a favourite residence of the prelates of Canterbury down to Arch- 
bishop Cranmer. King Henry VI. visited Archbishop Morton here, 
in 1438. This ancient relic has been well preserved and converted 
into two private residences ; the outer stone staircase, gothic door- 
ways and windows are very interesting remains. 

Archbishop Boniface founded, in 1260, All Saints' College on the 
bank of the Medway for poor travellers; it was given in 1395 to 
the church at Maidstone, which was then made a collegiate church. 
Archbishop Courtenay erected the college and buildings, and died 
in the year following. Of this noble pile of stone buildings, now 
belonging to the Marsham family (Lord Romney), much remaii 
the great tower gateway, clothed with ivy, is almost entire, as well 
as other portions of this foundation. 



MAIDSTONE. 41 

During the fourteenth century the inhabitants founded the Fra- 
ternity of Corpus Christi, in a house erected near the river ; beyond 
the resident members, others of both sexes, to the number of 120, 
were admitted. Many were persons of distinction, who contributed 
liberally; each of the others paid an annual fee, besides which the 
Fraternity was enriched by many legacies and gifts, and an estate 
in land and houses ; and on the death of members masses for the 
repose of their souls were celebrated, which materially added to 
their revenues. The chapel and parts of the cloister still re- 
main. 

A Convent of Franciscan or Grey Friars is said to have been 
founded here by Edward III. in 1331, which was removed in 1345, 
to Walsingham in Norfolk, where a convent was built for this 
order of friars. 

When the Walloons fled to England, to escape the persecution of 
the Duke d'Alva, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, they introduced 
into this town the manufacture of linen thread ; in 1634 there were 
fifty Walloon families resident here, and two large manufactories of 
linen thread. The Free Chapel of St. Faith in the northernmost 
part of the town, then in disuse, was occupied by these refugees; it 
was afterwards used as a Presbyterian chapel until nearly the mid- 
dle of the last century ; a few remains still exist. 

Maidstone is within the diocese of Canterbury. The Church dedi- 
cated to All Saints stands westward of the town on the river-bank, 
and was built on the site of a former church by Archbishop Cour- 
tenay, in 1395 (19th Richard II.). The finely carved stalls for the 
fellows of the college still grace the chancel, upon which are the 
arms of the founder: it is a noble sanctuary of considerable elevation, 
with nave, two aisles, and a large chancel. A spire of eighty feet 
in height, which surmounted the tower, was destroyed by lightning 
in 1730. In 1700 the church was paved and galleries erected, partly 
at the cost of Lord Romney: most of the beautiful monumental 
brasses for which this church was famous have been carried away. 
The supposed cenotaph of Archbishop Courtenay stands in the 
chancel ; the portraiture of a prelate in full canonicals is still trace- 
able on the slab from which the brass original was taken, but the 
inscription that surrounded it is for ever lost. In the south chancel, 
under a handsome monument, slumbers all that was mortal of the 
first principal of the college, — John Wootton, who died in 1471. 

The other churches are dedicated to * SS. Peter, Paul, John, 
Philip,' and the ' Holy Trinity .' the former is said to be fitted with 
some of the interior decorations of Archbishop Boniface's Chapel, 
founded in 1260. 

A new Congregational Church, in the Italian style, is in course 
of erection, to accommodate 800 persons, with commodious schools 
and class-rooms beneath. The cost is estimated at £3,000, to be 
raised by voluntary contributions. 



42 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

Maidstone has two representatives in Parliament : the right of 
election is vested in freemen by birth, the eldest son being born free. 
From its central position, Maidstone has long been the county or 
shire town. 

The Gaol of the western division of the county formerly stood in 
the centre of the town ; an Act of Parliament was obtained in 1736 
for its removal to the suburbs, when the present extensive stone 
building in East Lane was erected, since which it has been much 
enlarged and strengthened at considerable expense. 

The County Gaol, built on the Rochester Road, is a formidable 
pile, occupying upwards of thirteen acres, and was finished in 
1818, at a cost of £180,000. The walls are of immense thickness, 
built of brick, faced with ragstone; every appliance has been 
exhausted to render it a model prison. The prisoners are all clai 
fied, having distinct yards for outdoor exercise ; each pris< 
has a separate cell, and juvenile offenders, the teaching and 
attention of a reformatory. 

The Mote, an ancient seat, stood east of the town, in a noble 
park; it was castellated, and belonged to the noted famih 
Roger de Leyborne, during the reign of Henry III. It afterwards 
passed to Sir Robert Marsham, subsequently Lord Romney ; it was 
pulled down, and another mansion built in a more commanding 
situation in the park, which is richly wooded with oaks of large 
growth. 

The land throughout the neighbourhood is prolific in hops, fruit, 
and filberts; much of the prosperity of Maidstone has arisen : 
the successful culture of hops, supposed to have been introduced 
here at the Reformation. 

Maidstone was famous also for the distillation of spirit, well known 
as ' Maidstone Gin.' A Mr. George Bishop erected large works 
here; and in proof of the magnitude of his distillery, it is affirmed 
that 700 hogs were kept and fattened upon the surplus of the grain. 

The barracks for cavalry, built on the river margin, are extensive 
and well appointed, and are capable of receiving upwards of four 
hundred troopers. 

It was our desire to have been enabled to enlarge more fully on 
this the county town of Kent, seated in one of the lovelu - 
beautiful in hill and valley and in memories of early history ; but 
our pen must drop here. We migrate to our favourite old town, 
Gravesend, for relaxation, and propose during our sojourn there 
to gossip of its rise and progress, with sketchy notices of excursions 
in its vicinity, reserving until our return to the bustle ot^ life 
further Jottings of some of the many interesting spots that abound 
throughout this historical count}-. 



GRAVESEND. 43 

GRAVESEND. 
Chapter I. 

Gravesend, called in Domesday Book Gravesham, is bounded on 
the north by the Thames, distant from London by the old coach- 
road twenty-two miles, or by water 28^ miles, and built on an 
acclivity extending to Windmill Hill. 

The reputed site of the Roman station ' Vagniacis ' lies distant 
little more than two miles west by south-west ; the Roman road 
called Watling-street ran two miles due south of Gravesend ; and 
from numerous Roman relics found at Higham, on the east, marks 
the Romans almost at equidistances over three sides of a square, 
bounded on the fourth by the Thames: it may be therefore fairly 
inferred that Gravesend, as the centre, was a town or village 
early in the Christian era. 

After the departure of the Romans, when the Saxons invaded 
Britain in a.d. 455, the first great battle on record was fought at 
Aylesford, within twelve miles of Gravesend, where four thousand 
combatants were slain. 

In 839, when the Danes committed great slaughter at Rochester, 
it is supposed that Gravesend was ravaged, on their way to London. 
It is, however, certain that in the survey instituted by William 
the Conqueror in 1067, Gravesend was a place of importance, so 
much so that Herbert, son of Ivo, was * Bishop of Gravesham * 
at that time. 

A family of high repute took its name from this town, and 
were called ' De Gravesend ; ' they had large possessions here. 
Three of them were bishops during the reigns of Henry III., 
Edward I., and Edward II. — namely, Richard de Gravesend, Bishop 
of Lincoln in 1258 ; Richard de Gravesend (his son), Bishop of Lon- 
don in 1282 ; and Stephen de Gravesend, Bishop of London in 1318. 

After the murder of Thomas a Becket, Archbishop of Canter- 
bury, in 1170, pilgrimages were made to his tomb by multitudes 
from London, when stations were erected on the way, where the 
pilgrims halted ; these stations were called ' St. Thomas' Waterings.' 
One was at Gravesend, near the site of the Almshouses (so called) at 
the north-east corner of Windmill-street. 

Taverns, or Wine-houses, were known here early in the thirteenth 
century ; for it is recorded that ' John Baker of Milton and James 
Maracall of Gravesend were, in the year 1240-41, brought before 
the Justice Itinerant, for selling wine against the assize/ In the 
year 1279 several persons were presented to the Justice Itinerant 



44 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

for selling sundry casks of wine ; and in the same year a mu 

is chronicled as having been committed in the house of ' Alexander 

Cook, a tavernkeeper at Gravesend.' 

In the year 1268 a grant of free warren, with a market and 
fair, was conferred upon Robert de la Parrok, who held the 
manor of Parrdk. 

Kent suffered fearfully from a violent storm and inundation 
in 1286, which happening towards harvest the crops weredi 
and the price of corn enhanced fol ud the cause ■■ 

and landing at Gravesend materially injur* 

In the 21st year of Edward I. (ad. irs after the 

great storm, complaint was made to the ■ " of the 

dangerous condition of the bridge and chalk can 
through which many persons had sustained injury, an<: 
that the moiety or half on the riverside ought t 
the lord of the manor. Hem , and th< 

next the town, by the men of Milton — which was accDrdingly so 
determined. 

During the same presentment several b 
Milton, and London were arraigned tor extorting 
from passengers: tlie legal tare for paBWg the 

Thames was one halfpenny, whereas the boatmen had been charging 
a penny ; it was required that in future no more than one halfp- 
be taken, under a bond of forty shillii 

This nominal charge of one halfpenny to London rise 

in the nineteenth century, until we consider the 
at that date, which may be better understood 
of provisions in London in 1300, regulated by an Act of ( 
Council with the king's approval ; from which we extract 
following : — 

s. ft. 

Two Pullets 1J 

A fat Goose 4 

A fat Lamb from Christmas to 

Lent 14 

Ditto at other times ....04 
A Cock or Hen 1J 

— thus demonstrating that the fare of one halfpenny was equivalent 
to a shilling of present value. 

Richard II., in the year 1 ;^ 7 7 , directed his writs to the Sheriffs 
of Kent and Essex, commanding the erection of beacons on 
side of the river, opposite to each other, to be kept prepared, and 
fired on the approach of an enemy's vessel. One was accord 
erected at Gravesend, and the other at Farnedon. on the Essex 
coast; notwithstanding which Gravesend was short] varda 

plundered and burned by the French, who arrived in their galleys, 
and carried away many of the inhabitants prisoners. The k 
being assured of the bold resistance of the inhabitants, aud t 



Ground Malt per Quarter ...40 

A Bull 

6 6 

10 

* 



GRAVESEND. 45 

miserating the shock that had befallen them, conferred upon the 
men of Gravesend and Milton the exclusive right of river-traffic 
between Gravesend and London ; for which purpose they were to 
provide suitable boats, and carry all passengers at twopence each, 
with their personal luggage, or, for the hire of the whole boat, 
four shillings — a charter confirmed by several succeeding kings. 

These boats, during the last century, were called ' Tilt Boats ;' 
the signal for their departure was the ringing of a bell for a quarter 
of an hour, when they left with the flood for London, and returned 
from Billingsgate with every ebb. 

The Lords of the Manor of Gravesend had the right of holding 
a court for the regulation of the boats and water-carriage between 
Gravesend and the Port of London : this court was called ''Curia 
Cursus Acjuce,' according to an old roll in the possession of Earl 
Darnley of the 33rd of Elizabeth, a.d. 1591. 

In the year 1401, upon an alarm of invasion, writs were issued, 
commanding all ports to build and man barges and balingers — the 
barges with eighty, and the balingers with forty men; when 
Gravesend and Tiloury supplied one balinger, fully manned. 

The navigation of the Thames was wholly stopped through a 
great frost, which commenced on Christmas Day 1434, when all 
communications and merchandise were carried to London from 
Gravesend by land for nearly two months. 

Edward IV., in 1461, renewed the grant of Henry IV. to the 
inhabitants of Gravesend of the right of river- traffic, setting forth 
as his reason, * The good and gratuitous service which our dear lieges 
the inhabitants of Graves* nd had done Ml.' 

During the illness of Elizabeth, Queen of Henry VII., in 1503, 
a special officer of His Majesty's household was despatched by boat 
to Gravesend to summon to her bedside Dr. Aylsworth, a famous 
physician. His entire expenses, including horse-hire, refreshments, 
guides by night and day, watermen, and other incidentals, amounted 
to seven shillings and eightpence ! 

Under a patent granted by Edward III., in the 30th year of his 
reign, a.d. 1357, the market is held twice weekly in the town of 
Gravesend, on Wednesday and Saturday, and two fairs annually, 
the profits to belong to the lord of the manor. 

The Emperor Charles V. was entertained by Henry VIII. at 
Gravesend, on the 2nd June, 1522, after which, attended by a bril- 
liant train of nobles, they embarked hence for Greenwich in thirty 
barges. 

In 1539 Henry VIII. built platforms or bulwarks at Gravesend, 
Tilbury, and Higham, and mounted them with cannon, for the 
defence of the river. Five years afterwards Henry VIII. proceeded 
to Gravesend in state by water, and dined there the 12th of July, 
1544. The cost of a royal banquet, however, in those days was 
comparatively insignificant. Hasted tells us that on the triumphal 



46 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

return of Henry V. from France, he -was entertained at the Eed 
Lion Inn, Sittingbourne, by John Norwood, Esq., with princely 
splendour, and that the banquet cost nine shillings and ninepence ; 
but wine was then at the rate of twopence per pint. 

Brewer, who wrote on the luxuries and necessaries of life during 
the reign of Henry VIII., gives a cartel of salaries and prices, in 
which we have the following: — 'Salary of the chancellor 
the speaker of the House of Commons, £100; the king's chief 
surgeon, £13 10s. per annum; librarian, £10; superior workmen, 
6c?. per day in summer, 56?. in winter ; labourers, 4d. long days ; a 
shepherd's clothing for the year, 5.s\, and that of a woraai, 

In the Navy, the admiral had lO.v. a day ; captains and treat 
35. 6d. ; under-captains, \s. Gc/. ; clerks, Bd. ; master and pilot, ; 
a month; master surgeon, 13*. 4<I. a month \ nes, 

5s. a month. Beer cost 6s. Sd. per pipe ; salt, jd. a bush 
lOd. a bushel; and oil, lOd. a gallon. 

Queen Elizabeth confirmed to the parisl. 1 and 

Milton their charter of Henry IV.. and further in. 
parishes as the 'Portreeve, 9 now the ' Mayor, Joj I inhabitants 

of Gravesend and Milton;' the mayor to be chosen annually, on 
the first Monday after the Feast of St. Michael 

Queen Elizabeth further ordered that all emiue: • rs and 

ambassadors should be received at Graresend, and that th< 
aldermen, and companies of London should attend them to I 
in their barges ; or if they came by land, then they i aeet 

them at Blackheath. 



Chapteb II. 

In 1536 Mr. Hore, of London, originated an exploring expedition 
to the north-west coast of America. The route 

Good Hope had been discovered, and I 

seeking across the Atlantic a passage to Chii the 

1 Trinity' and * Minion,' were chartered : and - i »ne hun- 

dred and twenty persons thirty were gentlemen, including men. 
of the bar and of the Court of Chancery. The wholi 'led 

at Gravesend, and, according to llakiuvt. received th< 
before embarking, at the end of April of that 3 1 

The famous circumnavigator Sir Martin Frobisher. on bis 
voyage to the north-west, sailed from Gravesend in 1576. A 
adjusting his compasses, and marking the latitude (51 
turned in safety with a piece of gold ore. Tiros 
second expedition sailed from Gravesend the folio* 
when 'all received the communion by themuust 
prepared, as good Christians towards God and all 

fortunes, and towards night departed fur Tilbury . 



GRAVESEND. 47 

When the nation was in dread of an invasion from Spain, in the 
year 1588, fortifications were erected at Gravesend and Tilbury, and 
a fleet of battle- ships, to contest the passage of the river, moored 
here, whilst a large army encamped near the fort at Tilbury. 

On the 8th of August Queen Elizabeth came in a state-barge to 
Tilbury, to review her troops, and landed under a royal salute from 
Gravesend and the opposite fort. Her Majesty, mounted on a white 
palfrey and bearing a marshal's baton, was attended to the camp 
by the Earl of Leicester, a thousand horse, and two thousand in- 
fantry, to witness a sham-fight. After the review the Queen dined 
with the Lord Steward in his tent, and then embarked for St. 
James's under salutes, as on her arrival. 

In the third year of the reign of King James, on Thursday the 
17th of July, 1606, Christian IV., King of Denmark, arrived at 
Gravesend with a fleet of seven ships of war, on a visit to King 
James and his Queen, who was sister to the Danish monarch. 
They anchored at Gravesend, and remained on board until the fol- 
lowing day, when King James, Prince Henry, and a brilliant staff em- 
barked from Greenwich, in thirty-five barges, to meet the king at 
Gravesend. Cruden tells us that the barge of King James was 
built * in the form of a tower or castle, enclosed with glass windows 
and casements, carved and gilt, the roof made with battlements, 
pinnacles, pyramids, and fine imagery, which was towed by another 
barge with thirty oars.' After the reception the monarchs, with 
their respective suites and the flotilla of barges, proceeded to 
Greenwich, leaving the Danish ships at Gravesend. 

King Christian returned to Gravesend after a visit of nearly a 
month to the King of England, and gave a grand banquet to his 
Majesty and Prince Henry ; and sailed the 13th of August, attended 
by two British ships of war, under salutes from Gravesend and 
Tilbury. 

Gravesend, even before the Portuguese had voyaged via the Cape, 
in 1497, was famous as a port for large shipping ; and was then, as 
now, deservedly a favourite market for supplies of ship-stores, fresh 
provisions, liquors, and all other necessaries and comforts es- 
sential to the distant voyager. For nearly two centuries the mag- 
nificent fleets of the East India Company were wont to ride at 
Gravesend, and crowd the town with their officers, their crews, and 
their friends. Alas ! how many bitter tears have flowed here 
when fathers, mothers, wives, husbands, and beloved ones have 
parted, perhaps for ever ; how many fervent prayers have ascended 
from agonised hearts to Him who ' maketh the storm a calm, so that 
the waves thereof are still ; ' or, on the other hand, how many the 
rejoicings over those safely returned from burning climes, lands 
pregnant with disease and death ! 

The King of Denmark made a second visit to England in 1612, 
when his ships, as before, were anchored off Gravesend. It was 



48 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

on the 1st of August of this year that King James and Princ< 
Henry dined with the King of Denmark, at the Ship Tavern (for 
merly 15 and 16 High-street), and after visiting Rochester th< 
following day, returned to Gravesend for dinner. 

Daring the same year the Count Palatine of the Rhine Ian dec 
at Gravesend when he came to marry Elizabeth, daughter of King 
James. The issue of this marriage was a daughter, the Princes.' 
Sophia, whose son was George I. King of England. 

When Prince Charles was leaving England for Spain, attendee 
by the Duke of Buckingham, under fictitious names, both disguisec 
with beards, they crossed from Tilbury to Gravesend, and, no 
having silver, gave the boatman a gold-piece in payment. The 
man, in his surprise, reported the fact to the officers at Gravesend 
who pursued and arrested them at Canterbury, upon which the 
duke, who was Lord High Admiral, removed the false beard, wher 
they were released with many apologies. 

After the gorgeous nuptials of Charles I. at Canterbury, in June 
1625, and the daughter of Henri IV. of France, the king and his 
bride rode to Cobham Hall. The way was strewn with flowers 
by the people, who testified their joy by acclamations. The nex 
day their majesties came to Gravesend, where they dismounted anc 
received the congratulations of the nobility and numberless ladies 
and gentlemen, who had the honour of kissing hands ; after whicl 
they embarked on the royal barge, under a salute from the Block 
house. 

The assizes for the County of Kent were held several time 
within the parish of Milton during the reigns of James I. an( 
Charles I. 

Stage-coaches or, as they were called, Tide-coaches were in us* 
at Gravesend earlier than upon any other road in this country. Ii 
Wood's Diary the first mention of a stage-coach was in 1661, whei 
the journey from Oxford to London occupied two days ; agains 
which we have an order of the Corporation of Gravesend, date* 
July 21, 1647 (fourteen years before), confining the plying c 
tide-coaches to the inns or houses from whence they started. 

The first Town Hall of Gravesend was built in the year 1573 
it was rebuilt in 1764, and considerably altered in 1836, when a ne^ 
front of the Doric order was substituted. The handsome flute 
columns, supporting a noble pediment, surmounted by sculptures < 
Justice and Truth, with Minerva in the centre, give an imposin 
appearance, highly creditable to the architect. According to th 
inscription, it was rebuilt during the mayoralties of M. Troughto 
and R. Oakes, Esqrs. 

At the period of the Revolution in 1688, when King James E 
resolved to leave the kingdom, his Queen, with the infant Prince ( 
Wales and a female servant, disguised as Italians, drove to Grave* 
end on the 1st of December of that year, where a yacht, prepare 



GRAVESEND. 49 

by Lord and Lady Powis, was ready to convey them to Calais. 
The following day the king, disguised as a country gentleman, pro- 
ceeded to Gravesend on his way to Faversham, from whence he 
returned to London, where he remained until Tuesday the 18th 
December, when he again proceeded by barge to Gravesend, slept 
there that night, and finally embarked on the Medway for Amble- 
teuse, in France, the 23rd of December, 1688. 

When George I., great-grandson of James I., arrived in the 
Lower Hope on his way to Greenwich, the 18th September, 1714, 
the Mayor and Corporation of Gravesend presented a loyal address 
to His Majesty, which was graciously acknowledged, thereby giving 
them priority over all corporate bodies, as being the first that wel- 
comed to the shores of England the first prince of the illustrious 
House of Brunswick as King of the Realm. 

On the 24th of August, 1727, a considerable portion of Graves- 
end was destroyed by fire, which fearful conflagration originated in 
a building adjacent to the church, when the parish church, one 
hundred and twenty dwelling-houses, and numerous stables and 
outbuildings, were entirely destroyed. The loss was computed by 
some at nearly a quarter of a million sterling, whilst others pro- 
nounced the amount an exaggeration. Other fires happened in 
1731, 1748, 1779, and 1801, but the damage was inconsiderable in 
comparison with that of 1727. During the present century several 
fires have occurred in West Street, and two in High Street. The 
first of those in High Street was in 1845, when a tavern (the Black 
Horse) with several private dwellings were wholly destroyed. The 
second, a few years later, demolished a large amount of valuable 
property and houses, including the County Bank. So extensive 
was the conflagration that the ruins were smouldering for many 
days. This sad calamity to the inhabitants has proved a great im- 
provement to the town, not only in the widening of the street, but 
by the erection of handsome brick structures on the site of many 
crazy wooden houses. 

Chapter III. 

We find that eight hundred years since Gravesend had a parish 
church; but beyond this little is recorded, save that the rector, 
John Thorpe, who lived in the fifteenth century, directed by his will 
that he should be buried in the churchyard. It was situated at the 
extreme south of the parish, but, from the distance, was little used 
by the inhabitants. To meet this inconvenience a chapel was 
erected near the river, corresponding to the site of the present 
church, which was duly licensed in 1497, and consecrated in 1510, 
as St. George's Chapel. It became the parish church in 1544, when 
the old church, which was burned down in 1509 and rebuilt in 
1510, was abandoned under grant of Henry VIII. 



50 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

We have already shown that St. George's Church was burned 
down, with a large portion of the town, in 1727. by which the in- 
habitants were plunged into great pecuniary difficulty, and wholly 
unable, without considerable extraneous assistance, to rebuild the 
church ; it was therefore resolved to petition Parliament for a grant. 
The petitions were entrusted for presentation to the members for 
the county, consequent upon which five thousand pounds were 
granted by Parliament in 1731. His Majesty George II. gave a 
further sum of one thousand pounds, and his Queen five hundred, 
making together a total of six thousand five hundred pounds. 

The present church, dedicated to St. George, was commenced the 
same year, when Sir Roger Meredith, one of the county members, 
laid the first stone on the 3rd of June. It was finished in one year 
and eight months, and was consecrated and opened on the Uth of 
February, 1733. St. George's Church is a neat substantial struc- 
ture built of brick, with stone groins and cornices. It has a nave, 
two aisles, and galleries. In the west gallery is an organ, erected in 
1764. The church measures SO feet by 50 feet. The tower con- 
tains a peal of eight bells, of which two were cast in 1771, four in 
1736, one recast in 1793. and the remaining one recast in IS 13, by 
Mears of London. A steeple of wood rises 52 feet above the tower, 
in which is a clock having four dials, and from its commanding 
elevation is of general utility. 

Gravesend and Milton were incorporated under one charter, as 
the ' Mayor. Jurats, and Inhabitants of Gravesend and Milton.'' The 
High Street divides the parishes, the west side being in the parish 
of Gravesend. and the east side in that of Milton. 

Milton Church, dedicated to SS. Peter and Paul, is built of flints 
and ragstcne. It consists of a nave and chancel, and measures 
within the walls 7S feet in length and 25 in breadth. There was 
a church at Milton as early as the Conquest, but the present struc- 
ture is certainly not of that date. There is no direct evidence to 
prove when the present church was built, but the architecture is 
neither Norman nor Early English, which brings us down to the 
beginning of the fourteenth century, when the Decorated English 
style commenced, which prevailed from 1307 to 1377 — a period of 
seventy years— and during which there can be little doubt Milton 
Church was built. This conclusion is based upon the evidence of 
a window on the south side, next to the porch, which is a pure 
specimen of Decorated English in two lights, divided by a muliion, 
with trefoil ed arches forming the heads and a sixfoiled circle rising 
to the apex. Again, it is supposed to have been built by the 
Countess of Pembroke after the death of the Earl, in 1 323. who was 
Lord of the Manor of Milton. The Countess died in 1377 ; thus 
we have conclusive evidence that the style of architecture of Milton 
Church was in the ascendant while the Countess held the manor 
in right of her dec-cased lord. 



GRAVESEND. 51 

Formerly the window at the east end of Milton Church was of 
large dimensions, of the Decorative style, since contracted to nearly 
one-half, and a window in the Perpendicular style substituted. The 
interesting sedilia on the south side of the communion remain ; they 
consist of four niches divided by clustered columns and pointed 
arches with moulded soffits, the outer arches having trefoiled 
heads. These sedilia are to be found in many of our ancient 
churches, but varying in form and number, according to the clergy 
engaged in the service, for whom they were used as seats, with the 
exception of that at the extreme east, which was the piscina, for 
the use of the priest in washing the sacramental vessels, having a 
perforation in the bottom as a lavatory. A series of fourteen stone 
corbels, formerly supporting the roof, are distributed on each side 
of the church : upon the fronts of seven are sculptured heads, very 
grotesque for a sacred edifice ; three others on the north and two 
on the south sides are supposed to represent distinguished bene- 
factors. There are two niches in the south wall, and one on the 
outside, by the south porch, formerly receptacles for holy water. 

Milton Church was formerly battled, as well as the tower, but in 
1790 the battlements were demolished and the present incongruous 
roof substituted. The tower was built after the church, as was 
usual in the middle ages ; but, from the style and materials, it must 
have been erected shortly afterwards. There are five bells in the 
tower, cast in 1656. Over the porch, on the south side, is a curious 
sun dial, constructed by James Giles, master of the Free School : 
it bears the following significant motto: — 

' Trifle not, your time's but short.' 

Aylmer de Valence, Earl of Pembroke, founded, about the year 
1321-22, a chapel and chantry at Milton, and endowed it with 
lands and tenements in the county of Essex. It was suppressed at 
the Eeformation, although it had been long in disuse, and become 
a ruin from the endowments being lost through neglect. 

In 1779-80 the site of the chantry, with certain premises, in- 
cluding the New Tavern, of which it was part, were purchased by 
the Crown for the construction of a battery, which, although not 
very formidable, would be capable of great havoc from its embra- 
sures being mounted with modern cannon. 

King George II. embarked at Gravesend on the 13th May, 1740, 
for Holland, and on several other occasions when visiting Germany. 
Gravesend at this time was the military rendezvous for troops 
passing to the Continent, who embarked and landed here. War 
raged on the Continent, and troops were continually passing and re- 
passing until the peace in 1748, during which period trade flourished 
beyond all precedent in Gravesend. 

The oldest street in Gravesend is West Street. There is a deed 
extant, dated 4th September, 1418, wherein Mr. Thomas Bolynne 

E 2 



52 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

assigned certain premises, with a wharf, in ( Weste Strete, Gravy- 
sende. 1 East Street also bears the stamp of antiquity, for by the 
will of William Burston, dated 10th December, 1 548, certain mes- 
suages there are demised. These, with the High Street, which 
bore the same name three hundred years since, are the oldest por- 
tions of the town, although doubtless there were, even at that time, 
many other groups of dwellings not recorded under any discrimi- 
native appellation. 

In the Amended Charter of Incorporation of 1568, wholesome 
regulations were enacted for the cleansing, paving, and lighting of 
Gravesend, from which we extract the following: — 

* All Innkeepers and Victuallers should nightly, between the Feast of 
All Saints and the Purification of Our Lady, hang up lights at their 
doors, upon pain to forfeit fourpence, and every inhabitant shall pave 
against his premises under a penalty of three shillings and fourpence, 
and to weekly cleanse his door for avoiding evil odours. 9 

An Act of Parliament was passed in 1773 for paving and 
cleansing the town, which gave authority to impose rates, and for 
the removal of * signs, sign-posts, sign-irons, spouts, cellar-windows, 
penthouses, and other encroachments,' which Pocock thus remarks 
upon : — A Before the passing of the Act the town was most irregularly 
paved; the kennel then went down (uncovered) near the middle of the 
High Street; almost every tradesman had a sign; and in the night, 
when the wind blew strong, a concert of squeaking music filled your 
ears with sounds not the most pleasant. 9 

On the 23rd of August, 1759 a melancholy accident befell the 
ship ' Friendship,' just arrived from Jamaica, which blew up off 
Gravesend, when forty-two persons perished: of this number, 
eighteen were young ladies and gentlemen sent from Jamaica to be 
educated in England. 

Chapter IV. 

We learn from Crtiden and Pocock — two clever historians — that 
at the close of 1784 there was but one watchman for the parishes of 
Gravesend and Milton, and that this important functionary, named 
Clifford Reed, was also town-crier, and was remunerated by the in- 
habitants. 

The present system of police was organised in the year 1836, an 
institution highly creditable to the Corporation for the vigilance 
and respectability of its members, as well as for efficiency under 
the able conduct of Mr. Superintendent White. 

The year 1788 is memorable for a great frost, when the river 
at Gravesend resembled a northern sea, covered with mimic ice- 
bergs; some men walked ashore from their ships — others, ship- 
wrights from Mr. Pitcher's at Northfleet, amused themselves at 
ticket on a large field of ice. 



GRAVESEND. 53 

The first steamboat that ran between Gravesend and London 
was the ' Margery j her passengers embarked and landed by 
watermen's boats at Wates' Hotel, at fares of four shillings saloon 
and three shillings fore-cabin ; her first trip from Gravesend 
was on Monday the 23rd of January, 1815. 

In 1824 gasworks were erected, and the town was lighted for the 
first time with gas on the evening of Thursday the 9th of December. 
Gravesend was now rising as a popular summer resort. Londoners 
came down in large numbers, trade gave evidence of considera- 
ble improvement, and building to meet the influx commenced in the 
suburbs. 

In 1827 popularity had set in, passengers from London by steam- 
boat arrived in masses : the Steam Navigation Company alone con- 
veyed, on the average, 5,000 per week. In 1828 the Gravesend and 
Milton Steamboat Company was formed, and during the following 
year three boats were launched — the ' Kent,' * Pearl/ and 

* Essex.' The old Company built a new boat, the ' Eclipse ; ' then 
came the fast and elegant boats of the Diamond Company, carrying 
from nine to fourteen hundred passengers. We well remember 
those bright days of water-carriage, when the weekly average of 
visitors to Gravesend rose to 20,000 ; when the merchants and 
citizens of London could enjoy an early picturesque walk amongst 
the beauties of the suburbs, and find a 7 or 8 o'clock boat ready to 
bear them to the Great Metropolis within two hours; boats re- 
markable for cleanliness, saloons capacious and replete with every 
comfort, breakfasts abundantly supplied with hot rolls, ham, eggs, 
and an array of etceteras ; and after business, either at 4 or 5 
o'clock, return-boats, which provided excellent hot dinners of the 
best description, unlimited in quantity, at moderate cost. 

The Town Pier was opened on the 29th of July, 1834, when the 
chairman of the committee congratulated Earl Darnley on the com- 
pletion of the work he had so zealously promoted. The company, 
numbering nearly 300 of the gentry and principal inhabitants, em- 
barked on board the ' Mercury ' steamboat, and after a short 
excursion down the river returned to a banquet on the Pier, which 
was tastefully decked and draped with canvas and numerous 
flags. 

During that year nearly 300,000 passengers had passed between 
London and Gravesend, which induced the formation of the * Star 
Company,' who launched four boats that year — the ' Medway,' 
the ' Comet,' the ' Mercury,' and the ' Star.' 

In 1840 Brunswick Wharf, Blackwall, was opened, and extra 
packets launched to run between Blackwall and Gravesend, when 
the passage was effected in from one hour to one hour and a quar- 
ter, according to the tide. The new boats were the ' Blackwall/ 

* Railway,' and * Brunswick ; ' the other company's boats also 
called here, and we have, with favourable tide and by catching 



54 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

the train, been in London within an hour and a half of leaving 
Gravesend. 

The Blockhouses at Gravesend, erected by Henry VIII. in 1539- 
40, were both within the parish of Milton ; one was built on the 
chapel field near the ancient chantry, the other in front of the 
Terrace. In 1834 the Board of Ordnance announced this property 
for sale by public auction; a committee of the inhabitants was 
formed to treat with the Government for its purchase, which was 
finally effected for £7,000 on the 31st of March, 1835, when a 
temporary pier was commenced, and opened on the 7th of June 
following, on which day the ' Star ' steam-packet landed 524 pas- 
sengers. 

The Terrace Gardens were commenced at the close of this season; 
they justly rank amongst the attractions here, being laid out with 
excellent taste in pleasant walks, choice shrubs, and gay flowers ; 
a commanding river- frontage, and abundance of seats in shady 
retreats. 

The temporary pier was used until 1842-3, when the present 
elegant structure was erected and for years landed flights of excur- 
sionists from London. Now alas ! its vocation is #one, through 
railways and diminished popularity ; still in its individuality, there 
is the proud boast that HER MAJESTY, with the many members 
of Her Illustrious House, have made it their favourite place for 
embarkation and reception ; a distinction merited by the town and 
corporation, who have won the admiration of all loyal subjects from 
their munificent and highly successful efforts to demonstrate their 
devoted affection for England's beloved Queen. 

The name of the late James Harmer, Esq., of Ingress Abbey, 
must have a place here from his zeal in the furtherance of improve- 
ments, and the formation of the Gardens and Pier on the old Block- 
house land, in which enterprise he was the largest shareholder. To 
effect those improvements it became necessary to purchase three 
houses on the Terrace, and several acres of land south of the Gardens, 
to be laid out for building a handsome street, which was called Harmer 
Street, to commemorate that gentleman's munificence in having so 
liberally contributed towards its accomplishment. 

Harmer Street — perhaps the finest, certainly the most uniform, in 
the town — numbers 51 houses. At the southern extremity is a cres- 
cent of nine noble dwellings, adorned with balconies supported on 
pillars and looking on to neat plantations. The feature of Harmer 
Street is an elegant edifice on the east side, called the * Literary 
Institution,' with a reading-room, billiard-room, and a spacious 
well-appointed Assembly Room. 

This is the fashionable Assembly Room of Gravesend. Concerts, 
balls,^ and other genteel entertainments attract the elite of visitors 
and inhabitants. For several seasons it was known as ' Kelner's 
Bazaar,' a favourite morning promenade and an attractive evening 



GRAVESEND. 55 

resort for concerts, well rendered at a nominal charge for admission. 
We regret the discontinuance of these agreeable entertainments, 
which justly entitled the proprietor to support and commendation. 

The first project of a tunnel under the Thames originated at 
Gravesend, where a meeting was convened on the 18th of July, 1798, 
to confer on the practicability of a tunnel from Gravesend to Til- 
bury, which resulted in an Act of Parliament for raising £30,000 
in shares, and if expedient to raise a further sum of £20,000. The 
work was commenced and a shaft sunk upwards of eighty feet, 
which alone cost £15,000, when the projectors became discouraged, 
and the scheme was reluctantly abandoned. 

The improvements in the town under the operation of the Local 
Act of 1773 led to the introduction of bathing by machine at 
Gravesend. Cruden states that — ' On the ISth of May, 1796, 
forty-nine inhabitants of Gravesend joined in a subscription of five 
guineas each, and they purchased a machine at Margate to begin with, 
which was used for the first time on the 27 th of the following month, 
that they increased the machines to nine, and the establishment is 
called the Clifton Baths. 9 

The water however was turbid, and the old system of machine- 
bathing is now superseded by a perfection of arrangement, under the 
able management of Mr. John Lukes, that renders the Clifton Baths 
worthy to vie with any similar institutions. These baths comprise 
tepid, cold, vapour, plunging, shower, and swimming baths. The 
water is received into capacious reservoirs from the high tide, then 
lifted by steam-power into immense cisterns and filtered; the water 
being salt, and thus rendered pellucid, possesses the medicinal pro- 
perties necessary for the invalid. 

In front of the Clifton Baths are seats, where the convalescent 
may enjoy an animated view of the river and the scenery of the 
opposite coast ; while the more robust may luxuriate in an invigo- 
rating promenade stretching from the * Union Yacht Club House ' 
to the extent of the Clifton Marine Parade. 



Chapter V. 

Although the resident population of Gravesend and Milton had 
risen in 1833 to nearly ten thousand souls, still there were only two 
churches ; barely sufficient in accommodation for a sixth of that 
number, exclusive of visitors, who now crowded the town during 
the summer season. The inhabitants, roused by the emergency, 
convened a borough meeting at the Town Hall to consider the 
expecliency of building a capacious chapel-of-ease: funds were 
accordingly raised, and a site of land purchased opposite to Queen 
Street, upon which an Episcopal Chapel, capable of seating 1,200 
persons, was erected. 



56 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

This noble Gothic structure was commenced the same year, and 
within little more than twelve months finished. It was dedicated 
to St. John the Baptist, and opened for public worship the 16th of 
November, 1834. This chapel was the property of a company of 
shareholders, and subsequently of the Rev. Wm. John Blew, m.a., 
the incumbent, who afterwards sold it to His Eminence Cardinal 
Wiseman, by whom it was converted into a Roman Catholic church, 
when the side galleries were taken down. A small convent has been 
added, and schools and presbytery have been erected adjoining it, 
the whole being enclosed by handsome iron railings. 

In 1848 another church was erected near Milton Place. This 
pleasing Gothic edifice, built of stone, was dedicated to the ' Holy 
Trinity/ and will seat about 1,200 persons, including a large 
number of free seats. The organ in the north gallery is an effective 
instrument. The Rev. C. E. R. Robinson, the present incumbent, 
succeeded the Rev. Richard Joynes on his preferment. 

St. James's Church, on the New Road, opposite Somerset Street, 
was built in 1850, and is a handsome structure of modern Gothic, 
with a square battled tower rising in the centre. It stands in a 
carefully-tended plantation of flowers and shrubs, with ivy luxu- 
riantly climbing the buttresses and surrounding the windows, many 
of which are filled with memorial glass ; the interior is well 
arranged and fitted with open seats ; the stone pulpit stands on the 
north side. The Rev. John Joynes, the incumbent, is a faithful 
and earnest preacher, the friend of the poor, and ever prominent in 
those Christian graces — love and charity. An old and esteemed 
inhabitant of Gravesend, R. Blackburn, Esq., since deceased, placed 
the first organ in this church. He attained the venerable age of 
ninety years, and was, with his son-in-law, R. E. Morrice, Esq., 
amongst the most zealous supporters of the church and its excellent 
institutions. Within a few years, however, a new organ has been 
erected in the west gallery, which efficiently supports the vocal 
services of a numerous and devout congregation. 

In the upper part of Parrock Street is another stone church, plain 
and devoid of architectural beauty, but commodious, and capable 
of seating a large congregation. It was built in 1854, and conse- 
crated as * Christ Church:' the Rev. Felix A. Marsh is the 
incumbent. 

Distinct of five churches and a Roman Catholic church, there are 
five chapels belonging to the Dissenters. The * Independent ' chapel 
in Princes Street was first built in the year 1717, taken down in 
1838, and the present capacious building erected on the former site. 
This handsome chapel, with bold facade, will comfortably seat 
1,200 persons. The congregation is numerous and respectable, 
especially during the visiting season, when temporary residents 
receive much kindly attention. There are several excellent insti- 
tutions in connection with this chapel, more especially day-schools, 



GRAVESEND. 57 

which carefully educate some hundreds of children of both 
sexes. 

The Wesleyan chapel in Milton Road, built in 1812, was en- 
larged and re-arranged in 1841, and the front wholly rebuilt: 
during the present year, 1864, it has again been thoroughly re- 
paired and beautified, the original portico, supported on fluted 
pillars, removed, and new entrances constructed. This is a roomy 
chapel, with a small organ on the north gallery, and ample seat 
accommodation for visitors, who are always courteously welcomed. 
In front is a small burial-ground, with memorial tablets ; neat iron 
railings enclose the whole. 

The first Baptist chapel in Gravesend was merely a large room 
in Stone Street, opened in 1825, which having proved inade- 
quate, funds were raised for the erection of a suitable building in 
Windmill Street ; this structure, called * Zion Chapel/ was built 
in 1843, and is a feature of the street, from its commanding appear- 
ance. The interior is well pewed, and capable of seating a large 
congregation. 

Zoar Chapel, in Peacock Street, was built by the ' Particular 
Baptists.' This is a simple plain building, with sittings for about 
two hundred persons. The schools, however, which adjoin on the 
west, have a clever contrivance of windows, that open into the 
chapel, whereby much additional accommodation is gained. 

The ' Primitive Methodists,' who for several years worshipped in 
the original Baptist chapel in Stone Street, have erected a neat 
and suitable chapel in Darnley Street, with commodious schools 
beneath. 

Our short sketch of Gravesend would be very incomplete were we 
to omit some notice of charitable bequests, those fruits of Christian 
love, memories of pious bygones, that live on in youthful freshness. 

David Varchell, under his will, dated 15th September, 1703, gave 
forty shillings to be distributed amongst the poor at his funeral, 
and three pounds annually in bread and cash to forty poor persons. 
He further gave a house and four tenements towards the mainte- 
nance of the Free School and a brass chandelier for the church. 

Richard White gave, by will dated 10th August, 1622, forty 
shillings annually, to be divided amongst forty poor persons on St. 
Andrew's Day. 

Ann Chapman, by deed dated 11th August, 1709, gave forty 
shillings yearly, to be distributed in bread to forty poor persons 
after a sermon to be preached in Gravesend Church on St. John's 
Day. 

James Fry, by will dated 29th April, 1710, gave one hundred 
pounds for building the east end of St. Thomas's Almshouses, and 
an annuity of fourteen pounds ten shillings, payable to the master 
of the Free School, for the instruction of ten poor boys of Graves- 
end, Milton, and Chalk. 



58 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

Mary Langworth left twenty pounds, by will dated 26th June, 
1699; and Ann Peirce fifty pounds, under her will dated 18th July, 
1776. These joint sums, invested in consols, and now producing 
upwards of three pounds annually, are distributed amongst the poor 
of Milton. 

Dr. Thomas Plume, Archdeacon of Rochester, who died 20th 
November, 1704, charged Stone Castle (part of his estate) with the 
annual payment of fees for twenty-six sermons, to be preached 
alternately at Gravesend and Dartford on Wednesdays during the 
summer months. 

Mrs. Furrell, of London, bequeathed ten pounds to the charity 
children of Gravesend. 

Mrs. Eliza Jewars, from Bengal, in the East Indies, gave to the 
poor of Gravesend one thousand rupees (£100). 

Mr. Henry Pinnock, by his will dated 13th August, 1624, pave 
three hundred pounds to the parishes of Gravesend and Milton, 
with certain houses in Milton to be called i St. Thomas's Houses ' 
for ever, and also two houses and outbuildings with two acres of 
land at Grays Thurrock, in Essex, for the benefit of the poor of 
Gravesend and Milton. 



Chapter VI. 

St. Thomas's Almshouses were rebuilt in 1837-8. A tablet on 
the east front in Windmill Street bears this pleasing record: — 
' By the Will of Henry Pinnock, dated 13M August, 1624, these houses 
were left for the better relief and maintenance of poor decayed persons 
living in the Parishes of Gravesend and Milton-/ and on the south 
front in King Street, another marble slab affords gratifying evidence 
of local sympathy, although told in few words, as follows :— * The 
endowment of this Charity teas commenced by public subscription 
a.d. 1862, in grateful remembrance of Albert Prince Consort, and 
is vested in the Trustees with the hope of future contributions.' 

These almshouses, ten in number, built of red brick and stone, 
present a neat and ornamental appearance, and are carefully 
adapted for the convenience and comfort of the aged inmal 
who fully appreciate the munificence of the founder and the 
kindness of the trustees ; a brick wall, surmounted by iron railings, 
encloses the whole. In front of the almshouses* is a drinking 
fountain, appropriately represented by a female figure pouring 
water from a pitcher; it is, however, to be regretted that this 
convenience should prove an annoyance to pedestrians, the foot- 
path being generally dirty from scattered water. 

The Free School, founded in 1580, stands opposite to the Alms- 
houses in King Street. The present handsome Elizabethan building. 



GRAVESEND. 59 

of red brick and stone, was erected on the site of the former school 
(which having become seriously dilapidated was taken down), and 
the National School united with it, in 1835. The cost of this 
neat structure was liquidated by donations from the inhabitants, — 
Earl Darnley, — the Corporation of Gravesend, — and grants from 
Government and the National Society, in all upwards of j£ 1,300. 

Distinct of the Foundation School, there are other good schools 
for the poor in connexion with the Established Church and the 
different Dissenters' Chapels ; — Gravesend and Milton can also 
boast several collegiate and superior proprietary establishments, 
which deservedly command liberal patronage. 

Another important institution is the ' Gravesend Dispensary and 
Infirmary,' in Bath Street, built on a site of land liberally presented 
by Earl Darnley, who laid the foundation-stone. Of all charities 
least open to abuse are those founded to minister to the infirmities 
of frail nature, while they appeal in mute eloquence to our inmost 
sympathies from beds of suffering and disease, too often surrounded 
by want and misery. 

This substantial building of brick, approached by a flight of 
stone steps under a neat portico, is divided into two parts, the 
front portion being the Dispensary, comprising waiting and con- 
sulting rooms, the surgery, and the private residence of the 
indefatigable house-surgeon : here sick poor, not receiving parish 
relief, have medical aid and medicines for the nominal fee of one 
penny. The medical staff comprises two consulting and four 
operating surgeons, who attend in rotation. The Infirmary, which 
is a distinct building behind the Dispensary, has beds for twenty 
patients ; on an average there are from six to ten under treatment in 
the Infirmary, and upwards of one hundred weekly in the Dispensary. 
This excellent institution is supported by voluntary contributions; 
each annual subscriber of one guinea is qualified to be a gover- 
nor. The sphere of usefulness is wide, but we regret to learn 
that the funds, at present, are very limited ; still we hope that the 
Samaritan spirit marking our generation will not be wanting in 
sympathy and benevolence towards the ' Gravesend Dispensary and 
Infirmary.' 

The Parish of Gravesend contains 630 acres, and that of Milton 
650 — together 1,280 acres. In the first year of the present century 
(1801), the population of Gravesend was 2,483, and that of Milton 
2,056, which united numbered 4,539 persons of both sexes; the 
next Government return, in 1811, shows the population of Gravesend 
to have risen to 3,119, and Milton to 2,470, making a total of 5,589 
inhabitants in the borough of Gravesend and Milton at that date. 
Since then, however, it has increased so remarkably, both in inha- 
bitants and dwelling-houses, as to render it interesting to trace 
the progress ; we therefore give in extenso the census returns down 
to April 1861:— 



60 



JOTTINGS OF KENT. 



1821 

Gravesend 

Milton 


Inhabitants 


Houses 


Male 


Fema'e 


Total 


671 

478 

1149 


1796 
1310 

3106 


2018 
1459 

3477 


3814 
2769 

6583 


1831 

Gravesend 

Milton 


2555 
1939 

4494 


2542 
2409 

4951 


5097 
4348 

9445 


796 

721 

1517 


1841 

Gravesend 

Milton 


3058 
4028 

7086 


3356 

:>228 

8584 


6414 
9256 

15670 


981 

1437 

2418 


1851 

Gravesend 

Milton 


3260 
4522 

77S2 


3446 
5405 

8851 


6706 
992 7 

16633 


1264 
1941 

3205 


1861 

Gravesend 

Milton 


39S8 
4754 

8742 


3897 
6143 

10040 


7885 
•18782 


1385 
196 

34S1 


* Population IBftSS 

On board vessels in the river off Gravesend . 743 

Total 18,9 



From these statistics we gather many pleasing facts illustrative of 
& people who, within half a century, have multiplied their numbers 
fivefold, quadrupled their dwellings, and become a corporate 1 
of considerable status. 

Thus the population, which in the year 1801 was return. I 



GRAVESEND. 61 

souls, rose to 5,589 in 1811, and in 1821 to 6,583 ; being an average 
increase of one thousand in each ten years of that period. But during 
the next ten years, ending 1831, we find the population risen to 
9,445, an increase of 2,862 persons, occupying 1,517 houses. The 
most remarkable period, however, was between 1831 and 1841, when 
the census gives the number of inhabitants of Gravesend and Milton 
as 15,670, being an increase of 6,225 souls ; and of houses 2,418, or 
901 additional dwellings. 

It is not then surprising that the returns of 1851 should show the 
excess as only 963 persons, while 787 extra dwellings had been 
erected, when it is remembered that of the 6,225 increase in popu- 
lation between 1831 and 1841, by far the larger number were 
imported into the borough either as adventurers in trade, lodging- 
house keepers, or private residents. 

In 1861 the population was 18,782, and houses 3,481, being an 
increase within forty years of 12,199 inhabitants and 2,332 houses ; 
unexceptional evidence of the capital and importance of the borough, 
still multiplying in numbers, trade increasing, and building vigorously 
progressing, with every prospect of returning popularity. 



Chapter VII. 

We have now reached our last Chapter on Gravesend, for although 
our inclination might tend to enlarge more fully on this our favourite 
summer resort, yet in courtesy to a talented lady, whose pen has 
recently furnished a useful Guide, we refrain from further culling 
from interesting material before us, in a desire that that lady's 
interesting work should be patronised to the extent of our best 
wishes. 

That Gravesend has risen in importance as a borough, and in- 
creased in population and buildings within the present century to 
an almost incredible extent, has already been shown. We have 
only to suggest that a stranger on his first visit might form some 
approximate idea by commencing with High Street ; and if just 
landed, with gastronomic powers sharpened by a bracing river- 
breeze, he will be well entertained at any of the abounding restaur- 
ants lining the way, among which Tidby's deserves mention, as 
being capable of dining hundreds, from superior joints, or at plea- 
sure, in courses with fish, poultry, and sweets. 

This is a gay though narrow street. Here are the noble Town 
Hall and extensive Market, the commanding * Joint Stock Bank,' 
and superior shops well stocked with every description of articles of 
food, fancy goods, and all that can be required for wear or orna- 
mentation ; so also of the New Road, Windmill Street, King Street, 



62 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

Parrock Street, not excepting Queen Street, West v d other 

less important localities — all affording ample testimony o* 
sources and extent of the borough, by the abundance ient 

goods so largely displayed in its numb 

The great increase of private residence 
town, is truly surprising; Structures of every style, in rows of 
good houses, semi-detached villas. 
all more or less adorned with flower-gardens U 
Many of these are handsomely furnished as t 
and as a rule may be e 

Parrock Striii. on the Hilton i the longest o the 

town: here are many excellent bouaea, more especially towards 
the Hill, chiefly the i< 

don. Those known as Bronte Villas Prii titu- 

tion Crescent, and that n«i:_ r ht>oiirhood. stand on an eminence, with 
extensive views of beautiful unibrageoua 

verdure. 

Darnley Road, west of th< r ehanning spot: the 

houses here are most 1\ semi-detached, standing in gardens swi 
decked in floral beauty, 
Here again genteel lodgu be enga§ 

Windmill Street is ti:. opular thon 

from being the direct route to the hill !: 

The houses are mostly superior, and inhabited by persons of station 
and respectability. At tin* north u r ood shops, 

the establishment of Mr. Hall, tin esteemed print 
whose copious library and well-supplu I \e a 

desideratum to viaitOTfl as well as I 

is paved throughout with nu| the houi 

gardens tastefully laid out. enclosed by iron railings, and further 

embellished by rows of luxuriant Hill is 

Clarke's extensive nurseiN ground, rich and attractive in be;. 

and botanical variety Vu n I [flirileged 1 le in 

this nucleus of cultivated nature, a boon that dail owledg- 

ment in the purchase of fruits and 

We have now reached that tamed elevation once called Ruggen 
Hill, then Rouge Hill, and now Windmill Hill, - 
the erection of a windmill early in the eighteenth century. 
yond the gorgeous panorama itnre here unfolded are otlur 

modern attractions for the masses, to us of a far less sublime charac- 
ter. To attempt a description of the m ^ould be no 
mean difficulty ; we therefore reproduce the graphic picture draw 
Pocock, in his interesting 'History o( G 

consisting of sand and gravel, <■< rieics in 

the Kingdom, as from it may be seen Sicanscond . here the 

Kentishmen opposed William the Conqueror and oUamad thtir 
vileges; over which appears Shooter's E en mites \ oW 



GRAVESEND. 63 

town of Grays, in Essex, near which stands the mansion of Mr. 
Buxton, built in 1791 ; and to the north, on the summit, is the seat of 
Lord Petre ; Laindon Hill next rises majestically to our distant view, 
below which we see the villages of Chadwtll and Tilbury ; to the east- 
ward Leigh and Southend. The shipping lying at the Nore, twenty 
miles distant, may be seen, and our commerce continually passing and 
repassing until lost in the distance at Woolwich. In the south-east 
a long range of stately trees points out Cobham Park, near which is 
the church of Cobham ; to the south we see the mansion of Ifield Court, 
and in the south-west Knochholt Beeches, at the verge of the County of 
Kent. This delightful lull takes in not less than a circuitous view of 
150 miles.' 

There is now, however, another object to be seen from the Hill, 
one that commands serious reflection — ' the bourne from whence no 
traveller returns.' It is the Gravesend and Milton Cemetery, once a 
popular tea-gardens for the living, now, alas! the long last home of 
youth's first bloom as well as of sere old age, where earthly pride 
decays, and human hopes, like human works, sink into nothingness. 
We have just lost an old friend of ninety summers, but he has left 
his mark, for he died as lie had lived — In hope of a resurrection to 
EVERLASTING LIFE.' His mortal remains are to slumber here, whither 
we repair to meet them. Winding round by the west side of the 
hill we cross into a orescent road which shortly brings us to the 
cemetery, founded in the yeai It is entered by a handsome 

arched gateway supporting the bell-turret, falling back concave, to 
receive the funeral cortege from the road. A neat building rises 
on both sides of the entrance, serving the several purposes of office, 
lodge, and dwelling for the custodian ; a substantial wall sur- 
mounted with iron railings stretches along the front, and a lofty 
wall encloses the remainder, which covers about six acres, with 
extensive catacombs at the extremity. There are two chapels, one 
for the services of the Established Church and the other for those 
of the Dissenters. We had arrived early, which afforded oppor- 
tunity for meditation amongst the numerous monumental memorials 
of dear ones passed away, beautifully decked with flowers, shrubs, 
and evergreens, more like a carefully-tended garden than a place 
of sepulture. An occasional mourner, however, would have speedily 
dissipated the delusion, had such existed, — 

Who, stooping as the willows wave, 
Bend mourning o'er a hallowed grave. 

The first monument that arrests attention is to the memory of 
four loved children, with a chaplet of everlasting flowers in a glazed 
case hanging in front, and the following well-known couplet, to 
complete the inscription : 

' Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, 
And waste us sweetness iu the desert air.' 



64 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

Some short distance and a tablet tells of another departed child, 
and appropriately apostrophizes the verse : — 

4 See Israel's gentle Shepherd stands, 
With all engaging charms ; 
See how He calls the tender lambs, 
And folds them in His arms.' 

How much to humble human pride meets us at every step ! Here 
we read, inscribed on a simple stone to the memory of a beloved 
wife, who died at the early age of twenty-seven : — 

4 How loved, how valued once avails thee not, 
To whom related, or by whom begot ; 
A heap of dust alone remains of thee, 
'Tis all thou art, and all I soon shall be.* 

Full of truth as regards the body. But let us rise higher, and 
cull from the many sweet emblems around us the Christian's hope, 
graven on stone, as sermons spoken from the tomb : — 

' On Christ a solid rock I stand, 
All other ground is sinking sand.' 



Again — 
Another — 



4 Far from a world of grief and sin, 
With God eternally shut in.' 

4 Just as I am— without one plea 
But that Thy blood was shed for me, 
And that Thou bid'st me come to thee, 
O Lamb of God, I come. 

4 Just as I am— and waiting not, 
To rid my soul of one dark blot, 
To Thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot, 
O Lamb of God, I come.' 

We quote one more, as being the comforting assurance of Scrip- 
ture, that — 

4 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.'— Psalm cxvi. 15. 

Our meditations are ended ; the knell announces the funeral of 
our departed friend ; we repair to the chapel and hear, in the beau- 
tiful language of the Apostle, that ' this corruptible shall put on incor- 
ruption, and that this mortal shall put on immortality : when shall be 
brought to pass the saying that is written — Death is swallowed up in 
victory.' 

We now take leave of our friends of Gravesend, so far as relates 
to this simple sketch of the rise and progress of the borough, and 
of its resources and people ; proposing to follow with a few desul- 
tory observations on neighbouring localities, before passing to those 
more distant in this interesting county. 



NORTHFLEET. 65 



NOETHFLEET. 



Chapter I. 

Next to Gravesend on the west is Northfleet, containing 3,980 
acres, of which about one-tenth is wood and chalk-works. The 
land, which is marshy on the north-west, undulates towards the 
south-east, and becomes hilly between Irield and Nursted. 

From a remote date chalk has been quarried here, which gives 
employment to large numbers of the inhabitants. Out of one of 
these surprising excavations the ' Botanical ' now ' Rosherville Gar- 
dens ' were formed, which are not only a popular resort of excur- 
sionists and temporary residents, but also of charitable institutions 
for the augmentation of their funds. 

Rosherville Gardens afford one of the most striking illustrations 
of romantic grandeur adorning art. When viewed for the first time 
from the terrace, the beholder may imagine himself transported 
by the genii of Aladdin's lamp to Fairyland, amidst craggy rocks 
covered to their summit with trees and shrubs, ornamental foun- 
tains, rare birds, groves of perfume, statuary, and lovely flowers, 
arranged with artistic taste in charming variety. A flight of rude 
steps leads to the dizzy summit, from which, looking into the gar- 
dens beneath, you have a contexture of the whole, and the living 
masses in their diversified amusements : the sports in the archery 
ground, Chinese targets, weighing machines, Aunt Sallies, the maze 
and its intricacies, American bowls, mechanical figures, dancing on 
the platform and in the Banqueting Hall, the gipsy's tent, and coy 
maidens stealing to the Sibyl's seclusion; whilst others, seated in 
retired bowers, listen to the voice of love tenderly whispered by the 
sterner sex. 

Along these heights runs a walk of considerable extent, richly 
decorated with shrubs, odorous flowers, and rustic work. You have 
here a grand prospect of the noble river and surrounding pic- 
turesque scenery. At the western extremity rises a mimic tower 
of four stories, with battled top ; the windows being filled with 
stained glass, to give the illusive appearance of the seasons when 
seen through, as directed by the inscription. 

Considerable improvements are still in progress, including new 
banqueting and lecture halls, in addition to the Baronial Hall ; an 
extensive Conservatory for tropical plants, Shrubberies, and a 
Fernery. 

Leaving the gardens for the riverside, we decline sundry invita- 



66 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

tions to ride, and feminine appeals to ' buy fine shrimps — give you a 
cotton bag' and reach Rosherville Pier, which, being free. forms a 
morning lounge for visitors. Here ladies prosecute embroidery and 
fancy-work, or luxuriate in reading, whilst juveniles gambol and 
refresh themselves with cooling beverages and pastry in the well- 
stocked restaurant. 

Rosherville Pier, although a simple wooden structure, affords 
equal facilities for passenger traffic with those of the Town or Ter- 
race Piers. It was built about twenty years since by Messrs. Ward 
Brothers of London, but proved a pecuniary loss to the contract 
and, what was still more serious, the death of the elder brother, 
from a fatal cold engendered while superintending its construction. 

Keeping the river on our right, after glancing at the Rosherville 
Hotel, of goodly proportions, we pass the ' Old Sun' that quaint 
little snuggery for picnics and civility, and pause at ' < // 

the neat villa of Miss Rosher. whose widespread munificence 
eminently adorns the exemplary Christian lady. 

It is high water ; the sun shines brightly on the river and ship- 
ping; Essex smiles in verdure and harvest beauty: the London 
boat, heavily laden, is rounding the point, as we journey to the 
romantic wilds amongst the chaik-workfl on our left, where centuries 
of labour have formed a waste of natural beauty, in hill and dell, 
clothed in rich variety of wild herbage extending over mai 
where old and young delight to ramble amongst its intricacies, or 
scramble to the summit of detached cliffs, like mimic mountains, 
shaded by trees and wild herbage. Here are unfolded the wonders 
of creation in the varied strata of earth, gravel, liint, and fossil, in 
cuttings of great depth : shells, broken and entire, hav ind 

in abundance. In 1828 many parts of a fossil deer were found 
near the seat of W. Gladdish. Esq. : which, according to ge 
is by no means surprising, for they consider chalk to be 'animal 
remains in various stages of comminution and disintegration while tfl 
the ocean, before being deposited on solid foundations.' A curious old 
limekiln and portions of a brick wall formerly embedded in chalk 
are here, which present nothing indicative of great antiquity : still, 
from the fact of their being so hidden by a natural formation, i 
become a subject worthy of investigation. 

Perhaps the most interesting time to visit these charming wilds 
is early morn, when refreshed nature, spangled with the'dew of 
heaven, embraces the first beams of day, and^birds. in numberless 
variety, commingle their matin song:* when the cotter's home in 
the valley, or in ranges on yon high cliff, appear more picturesque, 
and their gardens in the dell more exuberant in verdure : when 
the smoke from burning kilns curls gracefully amongst the wild 
foliage, and the chalk-driver rattles gaily through die echoing 
glen. 

Pursuing our way we reach a massive pile of frowning buildir 



NORTHFLEET. 67 

resembling a fortress, with embattled walls and a castellated gate- 
way. These are the extensive works known as Pitcher's Dockyard 
for shipbuilding, founded in 1788, and formed out of a large tract 
of chalk cuttings. Some of the finest merchant ships and men-of- 
war have floated from these docks, then liberally patronised by 
Government and the East India Company, and giving employment 
to many hundreds of shipwrights and labourers, but of late years, 
unhappily, fallen into comparative disuse. Now, however, the 
docks have passed into other hands and are in full operation : the 
hammers of a thousand workmen fall gratefully on the ear, telling 
of the many happy homes, so lately chilled nearly to despair from 
want and privation, now rejoicing in the comforts of life. 

There are two routes from this point — that diverging to the right 
leading to the river, and on to Huggens College, flanked by ordi- 
nary taverns, engineering and other works, cottages, and the ' India 
Arms,' once a tavern of some pretensions, when East India ship- 
ping had moorings here. Here is also a lighthouse, erected in 
1860; next we have the extensive cement works, where dust or 
mire, according to the weather, begrime the way, with the addi- 
tion of an odour far from refreshing. 

We prefer the sinuous path next the dockyard, by a sort of adit, 
or cutting through the cliff, which, winding to the summit, opens 
on to the once village-green. The old town is of irregular form, 
without streets, and presents a very primitive appearance. There 
are some shops and snug inns, where visitors and travellers find good 
accommodation. 

Chapter II. 

One of the most interesting institutions in Northfleet is the college 
founded and endowed by J. Huggens, Esq., of Sittingbourne, situated 
westward of the town, whither we repair, passing the parsonage on 
the left, and a line of old-fashioned houses and shops on the right, 
terminating in a sort of new town, when the college rises before us. 
It is approached by a handsome entrance formed of three arches 
with bold iron gates ; the centre arch forms the carriage-way, the 
others are for pedestrians. A bronze figure of the founder, seated, 
surmounts the principal arch, under which is a finely-sculptured basso- 
relievo, beautifully illustrating the parable of the 4 Good Samaritan,' 
followed by the simple inscription, 'Huggens College, 1844.' 
This monument of individual munificence, forming three sides of 
a quadrangle facing outwards, stands on an eminence in the midst 
of lovely scenery. It consists of forty superior almshouses with 
porches to each and double doors for the comfort of the inmates 
during the winter season. The recipients are decayed persons of 
respectability, each of whom has four rooms free of rent, and 
receives £l per week, paid in person by the venerable founder, 

F 2 



68 ' JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

who, although very aged, visits them monthly : about a fourth of 
the houses are unoccupied. In the centre of the west front is a 
chapel with an elegant spire, intended for the use of the inmates, but 
which from some unexplained cause remains unfinished: this is to 
be regretted —an observation induced from remarks by some of the 
beneficed, whom age and infirmity had rendered wholly unable to 
worship at a distance. Each house has a back entrance from a grass- 
plot in the middle, extending to the outer wall by which the institu- 
tion is enclosed. The college, from its elevated position, may be 
seen miles distant, a pleasing and striking object — especially from 
the Thames. 

An elegant silver salver, weighing 30 ounces, was presented to Mr. 
Huggens, bearing the following inscription: — 'Presented by the 
brothers and sisters of Huggens College, Northlieet, to the highly 
esteemed founder, John Huggens, Esq., on completing i 
year, in token of their grateful sense of his bounty, April 29, In 

We leave this interesting spot in admiration of the founder, 
whose munificence and singlemindedness have not waited for death 
to supervene, but who still lives to rejoice over his noble work, and 
who, when passed away, will still live in grateful remembrance 
through many ages. 

Retracing our steps to the village, we reach the church of 
Northfleet, mantled in ivy. This venerable fane, dedicated to 
Botolph, is one of the largest in the county. Of its ; late 

there is much uncertainty, but, from the highest archaeological and 
architectural authority, the probability is that it dates hack to the 
twelfth century, and is supposed to have been built on the - 
former church, as it is known that Northfleet had a church at the 
Conquest belonging to Canterbury, which was given to the Priory 
of St. Andrew's, Rochester. 

Some few years since this grand sanctuary was largely restored, 
the gallery removed, a new organ placed on the floor at the west-end, 
and open benches, to supersede unsightly pews. Doling the | 
year (1863) the work was completed by the perfect restoration of the 
chancel, upwards of fifty feet in length, which is supposed to dj 
from the middle (or perhaps rather earlier) of the fourteenth cent 
when Peter de Lacy was vicar, who died in 1370, and whose grave 
was opened towards the close of the last century, and his remains 
discovered wrapped in leather. 

This last restoration is very effective. The chancel floor has been 
raised, and laid with highly-glazed encaustic tiles: the rei 
massive and tasteful, the arrangement of clergy aud choir stalls 
perfect; an excellent choir organ, with diapered pipes, has been 
erected by Gray and Davison of London, and the former instrument 
removed; the chancel is effectively lighted by two hai 
candelabra or gaseliers of 25 jets each, the gift of a parisl 
the whole, enclosed by the ancient rood-screen, aud backed by the 



NORTHFLEET. 69 

exquisite east window, has a most ecclesiastical and imposing 
appearance. Amongst the ancient sacerdotal relics is a restored 
piscina and remains of stone sedilia, of which it is affirmed there 
were originally four, although three only exist. The church may 
be described as consisting of a nave and two aisles, with bold 
octagonal pillars and pointed arches : the south-eastern window, filled 
with rich memorial glass, was contributed by the family and friends 
of the late vicar. There are some brasses: one, to the memory of 
Peter de Lacy, already mentioned, representing the full figure of a 
priest, is highly ornamental ; another, supposed to be that of Sir 
William Rykeld, or Rickell, represented in armour, with that of his 
lady, two full-length figures. Sir William lived in the reign of 
Richard II., and died about 1400. There are also some finely 
sculptured marble monuments affixed to the walls, amongst which 
is that of Edward Brown, physician to Charles II., and another that 
of Richard Davey, Keeper of the Seals to Henry VI. 

The exterior is striking and grand : the embattled tower, from 
which floats a flag on Sundays, was in part rebuilt in 1717, and 
contains a melodious peal of six bells ; on the outside is a flight of 
twenty-five stone steps, leading to the belfry. The Rev. Frederic 
Southgate, the present vicar, succeeded to the living in 1858. 
Amongst the many interesting monuments in the churchyard is a 
pyramidal mausoleum erected by the founder of ' Huggens Col- 
lege' for his last home when gathered to his fathers; it is of 
considerable elevation, and elaborate in workmanship, surrounded 
by an iron railing. 

Northfleet has a neat Dissenters' Chapel, built in 1850, and 
excellent National Schools. In 1801 the line of the London Road 
was much improved by being carried in a straight line from the 
' Leather Bottle' to Gravesend, which still retains the name of the 
New Road. From the time Gravesend became popular, Northfleet 
increased rapidly in houses of every description : — here are family 
mansions, detached villas, rustic cottages and dwellings, scattered 
profusely over this portion of the parish. 

Wombwell Hall, commonly called Wimble Hall, is a seat in 
this parish built on an estate anciently called Dundalls. In the 
reign of Edward III. it was in the possession of the Wangdeford 
family, but was afterwards alienated to Thomas Wombwell ot York- 
shire, who removed into Kent during the reign of Edward IV., and 
built the seat called by his name, which was rebuilt in 1663. The 
present mansion, built on the site of the old one, was erected a few 
years since for Thomas Colyer, Esq., and is certainly one of the 
finest in the neighbourhood. 

Ifield Court is a manor at the south west boundary of this 
parish, originally the property of a family of that name in the reign 
of Edward I. 

Hive, corruptly for The Hythe, a seat near the banks of the 



70 JOTTINGS OF KEXT. 

Thames, northward of the London Road, was many years the 
property of the family of Chiffmch, who bequeathed it in 1775 to 
Elizabeth, wife of Francis Wadman, Esq., Gentleman Usher to the 
Princess Amelia, daughter of George III. 

During the reign of Richard II. the Cistercian Abbey of St. Mary 
Graces, London, possessed a valuable manor here called Leuches, 
or Muiches, which was surrendered to Henry VIII., but where 
situated is now unknown. 

Bycliffes, near Rosherville Gardens, the seat of William 
Gladdish, Esq., j.p., and Colonel of the 1st Kent Artillery Volunt. 
is a handsome seat, standing in extensive grounds well laid out, and 
containing a large fishpond; the Terrace Walk here, by some called 
the Whispering Walk, has a curious echo. The site of this mansion 
was formerly the dockyard of Mr. William Cleverley. an eminent 
shipbuilder, whose granddaughter is the wife of the highly-esteemed 
proprietor. 

We return to Gravesend by the New Road, always a grateful 
walk, and are charmed by the wild verdure and fan;. na- 

tions amongst the extensive chalk excavations on our left, with the 
ever-living river beyond, and the distant landscape stretching to 
wooded hills far on the opposite coast ; whilst on our right we have 
a line of sweetly picturesque villas adorned with lovely floi 
gardens. 

Yon bright fane on the left, in the midst of handsome modern 
mansions, is St. Mark's Church, Rosherville, built at the sole cost 
of the Rosher family, and endowed by George Rosher. Eaq. This 
elegant church, in the Transition style of architecture, is a rich 
specimen of stone-carving and elaborate decoration, and may jus 
rank amongst the best modern ecclesiastical structures in I 
county. Entering by the south porch, we find the interior equally 
beautiful: it consists of a nave and two aisles, neatly paved with 
tiles, forming diamonds of black, white, and red:" a -cries of 
clustered columns, carrying five pointed arches in each aisle, sup- 
port an effective open roof. The chancel, which is exuberant in 
stone- carving, has also a noble pointed arch, and a good t 
window filled with richly-stained glass ; the memorial wind 
either side of the chancel, are full of character and appropriate:, 
of design ; the pulpit and font of carved stone accord with and 
complete the harmony of the sculptor's art displaved throughout. 
The church is well filled with substantial oak benches : there is a 
small organ, elevated at the west end, built by Walker of London : 
the choir, a small but promising body, sit beneath. The incumbent 
is the Rev. J. C. Gilling, who was presented to the living by I 
Rosher, Esq., on the resignation of the Rev. Frederic SoutWate, in 
1858. 



COBHAM. 71 



COBHAM. 

Every visitor to Gravesend has either seen or heard of Cobham ; 
flymen intuitively greet each arrival at pier or station with 
' Cobham, sir ? ' whilst Charles Dickens has inimitably pictured a 
walk to Cobham, and portrayed scenes and characters at the 
1 Leather Bottle.' If, however, any of our readers have not been 
there, let them take the advice of Captain Cuttle, and • make a note 
of it,' and remember that they have a treat in store. 

The drive or walk to Cobham is amongst the prettiest in the vici- 
nity of Gravesend. If undertaken by a pedestrian, he will enjoy a 
walk across richly-cropped fields leading to Shinglewell, where 
mayhap he may incline to refresh with a cup of famous ale at the 
1 Halfway House;' or if, returning by the road, thirsty and fatigued, 
let him alight at ' NorthumberlaiuL Bottom,' and at the quiet hostelry- 
quaff a glass of ' Barnard's Old ' — a sobriquet complimentary of the 
former kindly host, who supplied this superior ale in the finest per- 
fection. 

Cobham is about four miles from Gravesend. It gave the name 
to a noble house as early as the twelfth century. The first was 
Henry de Cobham, who was Justice of the Assize during the reign 
of King John, in 1199; his second son, Reginald, was Justice 
Itinerant and Sheriff of Kent, Constable of Dover Castle, and Warden 
of the Cinque Ports. The line of Cobhams were men of mark, and 
filled high offices amongst the nobles of the land until 1604, when 
Henry Lord Cobham, his brother George, and others were accused 
of plotting against the king's life, and found guilty. George was 
beheaded ; Lord Cobham's life was spared, but his estates, said to be 
worth £7,000 per annum in land and £30,000 in goods and chattels, 
were all forfeited to the Crown. 

The village of Cobham is sweetly pretty, and full of interest. 
You glance at the quaint inn, perhaps rest in the low-ceiled parlour, 
surrounded with old pictures, and have a tankard of ' Cobham ale,' 
which we have satisfactorily proved, and conjure up Mr. Pickwick 
and his adventures there. 

In the year 1362, the thirty- sixth of Edward III., John de 
Cobham founded a chantry or college annexed to the church of 
Cobham for five priests, afterwards augmented to seven, for the 
performance of divine service in it for ever, one of whom was to be 
master of the chantry, and to preside over the college. The same 
John de Cobham thoroughly repaired the church at large cost, and" 
liberally supplied it with books, vestments, and other ecclesias- 
tical ornaments. The chantry remained until the reign of Henry 
VIII., when it was surrendered to the Crown ; but, by an Act of 



72 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

Parliament passed in 1549, it was sold to Lord Cobham. His 
son, William Brooke, by another Act, passed in 1 
Cobham College, and erected it on the old foundations. The 
original chantry was a large quadrangular buildii;. ning the 

south-east part of the churchyard : portions of the cast wall over- 
grown with ivy, the chimneypieces of the refectory, and parts of 
the north cloister still exist in ruins. The doorway from the chantry 
to the church is very interesting, standing in ruin< lew : we 

are led to meditate on the past, when five centuries since a pageant 
of priests and brethren passed its portal^ daily to their the 

church, there to celebrate mass for the souls of the founder and his 
family. 

Cobham College is a stone building, partly built out of the 
chantry, and partly new at the time of it- foundation in 1598 : it 
is, however, difficult to BnppOM the main building of tfail date. 
Some historians aver that, from the figures over I b poreh- 

way, where the armorial bearing! of the founder 
well as from the testimony of ancient documents, mi 
much earlier. The visitor to Cobham Colli the 

venerable dining-hall, with its quaint fire: now 

used as the chapel, and plunge into the darkness of a e 
antiquity, said to have been used as a prison I 
vassals. There are twenty poor persons , 
unmarried) located here, of whom on. Len and I 

warden. Of the remaining eighteen on this foundation, Cobham 
elects three, Shorne two, Cooling one. Strood two, H 
Mary Hoo one, Cliffe one, Chalk one. Gravesend o 
Cuxton one, and Hailing one. 

Cobham Church, dedicated to St. Man M 
eminence at the entrance of the village T ruc- 

ture, which dates back to the thirteenth century, has a ns 
aisles, a large chancel, and a square battled ton :ock 

and a peal of bells. It has been recently i 

under the superintendence of Mr. Scott, the distinguished ecclei 
tical architect. The chancel is magnificent, and contains the 
grandest collection of sepulchral brasses in the kingdom, memorials 
of the Cobhams until the transfer of their domains in 1604 to the 
houses of Lennox and Darnlej. These brasses date from the 
fourteenth century : twelve are of large dimensions and occupy the 
floor of the chancel, ranged in two rows before the altar; the 
liest is that of Lady Joan, temp. Edward 11. The whole are - 
1864, being restored at the cost of Captain Brooke, a 
the former lords of Cobham. Bold columns and p 
support an oaken roof, the steps to the communion-ta' 
with encaustic tiles ; on the south of the chancel are the usual ted&a 
and piscina. There is a splendid tomb of marble in the 
which the light, from a near window, falls with consider. 



COBHAM. i 6 

supports a recumbent figure with clasped hands (said to be that of 
Lord Cobham, Governor of Calais during the reign of Edward VI.), 
with his wife by his side, and his children kneeling. 

Cobham Park, which covers about 2,000 acres, formerly extended 
two miles and a half from east to west, and a mile and a half from 
north to south. Nature has indeed been lavish here in every 
variety of verdure and beauty of scenery: towering oaks of im- 
mense growth — a sombre walk of a thousand yards between rows 
of superb lime-trees, and an abundance of large chesnut trees, 
one of which, called the ' Four Sisters' from its peculiar growth, 
measures thirty-two feet in circumference, — lawns of velvet, gay 
in odorous flowers, — woody dells and gorgeous landscapes in hill 
and valley rise on every side, animated by the bounding deer, and 
the singing of birds, forming a magnificent whole, eminently cal- 
culated to charm the senses. 

On an eminence stands the Darnley Mausoleum, erected in 1783 ; 
it is built of stone, in the Doric order, octangular in form. The 
columns at each angle support a sarcophagus terminating with a 
quadrangular pyramid. Although intended for the family vault, 
having sixteen compartments, yet it has never been consecrated. 
The chapel, which is elegant, is ornamented with Brocotello mar- 
ble, and has a handsome lancet-shaped east window filled with 
stained glass. 

Cobham Hall, a stately mansion of mixed architecture, consists 
of a centre and wings. The central building was the work of Inigo 
Jones; the wings, which were eased with* brick, and the windows 
mullioned during the last century, bear the dates 1582 and 1594. This 
fine baronial hall may be viewed on Fridays by tickets procura- 
ble in Gravesend, when admission is granted to many of the State 
Apartments, which are superbly furnished. The music-room, 
measuring 50 feet by 40, is truly magnificent — walls of polished 
white and sienna marbles ; the roof and upper portions of the 
walls have bold ornaments on a white ground, richly gilt. The 
white marble chimneypiece is an elaborate work of art by Sir R. 
Westmacott. There is a fine organ here presented by George IV. ; 
the floor is of polished oak. The principal dining-room is also beauti- 
fully decorated, and the walls covered with pictures by the first 
masters, and family portraits by Vandyke, Kneller, and Lely. The 
grand staircase leads to the picture-gallery, 134 feet in length, stored 
with the finest works of art, including some of Rubens' greatest pro- 
ductions. Without further extending our description the visitor will 
find exquisite sculpture in every variety — marble statuary, etruscan 
and other vases, and treasures of art seldom to be witnessed. 

Amongst the many curiosities is a gilt chariot, said to have 
belonged to Queen Elizabeth. Historians, however, are not agreed 
on this point. It was during this reign (when ladies, and royal 
ones too, made substantial breakfasts of beefsteaks and ale) that 



74 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

an Act (42 Elizabeth, a.d. 1600) was passed forbidding 'Men 
riding in coaches, as being effeminate.' 

We cannot take leave of Cobham without an expression of 
gratitude to the noble Earl Darnley, for the privilege accorded 
visitors of luxuriating in his park, and feasting in admiration 
amongst the sumptuous treasures that adorn his gorgeous halls. 
His Lordship is hereditary High Steward of Gravesend and Milton, 
a considerable patron of religious and social institutions, and much 
esteemed throughout the county for courtesy and kindliness of 
manner. 



SPRINGHEAD. 

Springhead and Watercress are as familiarlyassociated as Shrimps 
and Gravesend; it isone of those sunny spots that everybody vu 
Let us be companions ; the morning is fine, a walk across the fields 
on a balmy autumn day will prove invigorating. 

From a choice of two ways, ire Belect that diverging from the New 
Road by St. James' Church over the railway bridge, and leai 
Darnley Road on our left take an oblique path through an extern 
potato- field ; on our right is the old mill rapidly revolving to a 
southern breeze. We leave Perry Street and its slated houses on our 
left, advancing through golden corn rapidly falling to the reaj 
sickle, and waggons bearing away the rich treasure : another pot 
plantation, and we reach some fine parkage, adorned with ; 
oaks casting inviting shadows. 

The sun is giving evidence of his power: we seek shelter under 
their umbrage, and, reclining on a grateful acclivity, read the inci<i- 
of a previous day from a London journal. The cl< -end 

Church booms out the meridian hour; as we reach the road, the 
elegant seat of T. Colyer, Esq., whose lands spread tar and wide, is 
on our left. We near a farm and, again crossing fields, stand on 
the brow of Springhead, that charming valley with its meandering 
stream and dainty cress, an elysium of blushing fruit, ot' \o\ 
walks, and charming flowers. Yon pale cottage on the other side, 
nestling in a garden of variegated flowers, is Mrs. Silvester's.— 
formerly sole proprietress of the whole, but now divided, and in 
the distinct occupation of Mrs. Silvester and Mr. Arthur. Our 
first visit is to Mr. Arthur's, on this side of the stream. We descend 
carefully the steep declivity, as a slip might usher us into the 
gardens rather unceremoniously; passing a rustic arch 
reach the lawn, and an assemblage of visitors vigorously discus- 
fruit and refreshing beverages cooled in the limpid stream, 
prefer ' Tiffin,' and enjoy a rasher of unexceptionable quality in the 
luncheon-room, before basking in this isolated spot of incompart 



SPRINGHEAD. 75 

loveliness. Strawberries of the most luscious quality are largely- 
cultivated, which attract crowds during their season. We have 
here rustic arbours, velvet lawns, delightful walks, — as well as 
swings for the juveniles, and superior refreshments, always accom- 
panied with remarkable civility by both the Silvester and Arthur 
families, in whose joint prosperity we feel interested. 

The extensive culture of watercress is truly surprising, not 
only for country supply, but largely for the London markets, 
whither it is sent daily. The springs forming this pellucid 
stream rise in the valley, and flow over a gravelly bottom through 
the extensive and picturesque grounds. During autumn the beds 
are wholly cleared of this favourite esculent, the bottom carefully 
cleansed and levelled, and fresh gravel stones strewed where 
necessary, over which the stream glides to the depth of a few 
inches, when the curious process of replanting commences. The 
young cress is planted, or rather laid, in rows, the leaves of each 
row covering the roots of its precursor ; within a few days the 
roots strike down amongst the stones and vegetate rapidly, without 
any covering of soil. 

Public gardens would be incomplete without a Sibyl : here are 
two, one on each property. * Old Peggy,' on Mrs. Silvester's side, 
is aged and infirm from rheumatism ; we had overtaken her a few 
evenings previous resting by the roadside, and readily gave her a 
seat in our fly, when she displayed an amount of intelligence superior 
to her class. On this occasion our gipsy friends on both sides have 
silvery desires of consulting futurity in our behalf, which, as 
sceptics, we decline, not without remarking the cordiality (although 
rivals) existing between them in their friendly gossip across the water. 

We have an attraction here in the person of Mrs. Clayton, 
mother of Mrs. Arthur, who entered her 105th year in January 1864, 
and who still retains her faculties ; she generally rises at 6 a.m. 
and retires at 9 p.m., arranges her own room (refusing the assistance 
of a domestic), exercises in the gardens, and still works neatly ; 
we found her busied preparing vegetables for dinner, from which 
she rose to acknowledge our enquiries. 

When the Princess Alexandra arrived at Gravesend, Mrs. 
Clayton walked from Springhead, and was present to welcome 
her on landing. A few evenings subsequently a party of 1 50 elderly 
ladies united in a tea-party at the ' Elephant's Head/ Rosherville, to 
celebrate this national event, when Mrs. Clayton presided, after 
again walking the entire distance without apparent fatigue. 

Taking leave of Mrs. Clayton, we cross to Mrs. Silvester's, and 
find her, as usual, active, with a kind word for everybody. We well 
remember a gay day at Springhead — the 14th of August, 1860 — 
when Miss Rosa Silvester was married ; when the sun shone brightly 
as the bridal party emerged from the house, and ' Old Peggy,' with 
her best courtesy and, if we mistake not, with a tear, placed a 



76 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

white rose in the hand of her young mistress ; nor do we forget 
the profuse wedding-breakfast that awaited their return, so gaily 
decked with Springhead's choicest flowers. 

We have accidentally met some friends, and, repairing to the 
lawn across a rustic bridge, enjoy biscuits and ale in one of the 
many picturesque alcoves, whilst our juveniles swing and sport 
amidst the many surrounding beauties, and luxuriate in fruit, and 
gingerbeer fished out of the stream : here indeed may he found 
rural enjoyment, where even the songsters of the wood revel in 
harmonious concert. 

Our time is gone; we take leave of, and a bouquet from, the 
kindly Mrs. Silvester. Boustred. one of the civilest of Gravesend 
flymen, is here, and fortunately disengaged ; he bears us to the 
town, and on the way we retain his services for the morrow. 



SWANSCOMBE. 

The morning, fanned by a soft southern breeze, was very beantifh] 
as we drove through Northfleet on our way to Swanscombe, three 
miles distant from Gravesend. 

This parish, which takes its name from ■ Swci/ne' a Danish 
monarch, and ' Combe? a camp, contains 438 houses, 2,323 infa 
tants, and 2,593 acres of tolerable land, inclined to be grai 
about the village : of this amount, however, nearly a thousand acres 
are marsh and wood, Swanscombe Wood alone covering 600 acres. 

The village is healthy and picturesque, from whence, how 
the land rises to the wood, where, according to BLasi and 

vapours concentrate from the marshes, which render it unhealthy. 
The old Roman road runs on the south of the wood, said to fa 
been the vicinity of a Roman station, and favoured by the finding 
of coins of Nero and Severus. Here are also several earth- 
mounds, some having a hollow at the top, unquestionably of very 
remote times. 

When the Danes landed at Swanscombe, the Thames fl 
through the valley as high as Southfleet, and shipping found - 
shelter between the hills; but the shipping of those days may now 
be compared, in size, to modern Gravesend fishing-boats. 

According to tradition, it was here that William the Conqueror — 
after the Battle of Hastings— encountered the Kentishmen. who, 
appearing with boughs in their hands, resembled a moving for 
but which, on the approach of the Conqueror, they threi 
and stood a large army ready for battle, demanding the confirms! 
of their ancient laws and privileges as the onlv terms of submiss 



SWANSCOMBE. 77 

In 1 346 (the 19th year of Edward III.) John Lucas, of Greenhithe, 
founded a chapel in this hamlet, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. 
It was suppressed in the reign of Edward VI. ; some portions 
of the walls, however, still exist, but, from being part of a tene- 
ment, are not visible. On the banks of the Thames are several 
wharves for landing and shipping wood, corn, coals, but principally 
chalk dug from the neighbouring pits. 

Swanscombe Church, dedicated to SS. Peter and Paul, is 
within the diocese of Rochester; it has a nave and two aisles, and a 
spire steeple, probably of the thirteenth century : some of the windows 
have been partially restored, but the interior presents that bane of 
all architectural beauty, whitewash and ugly unmeaning pews. 
There are some good monuments, principally of the Weldon family, 
who were distinguished residents duriug the reigns of Elizabeth and 
James I. 

Anthony Weldon was descended from Bertram de Weldone, one 
of the retinue of the Earl of Northumberland at the Conquest : his 
third son was treasurer to Edward VI. Queen Elizabeth, in the 
second year of her reign (a.d. 1559), granted to Anthony Weldon 
the manor of Swanscombe : he died in 1574, when his eldest son 
Ralph inherited the manor and mansion. 

On the south side of the church is a handsome mural monument 
with a finely-sculptured female effigy, intended to represent Dame 
Eleanor Weldon, near which is that of Anthony Weldon, kneeling 
at a desk upon which is an open book. The monument of their 
son Ralph, who died in 1602, is very stately; it represents the 
recumbent figure of Sir Ralph in armour, his wife by his side, and 
a son and daughter at their feet : in the front are their three sons 
and five daughters, figured as kneeling before a desk. 

Swanscombe Church, in olden times, was resorted to by large 
companies of pilgrims, to pray the aid of St. Hilderfirth for the cure 
of insanity ; his portrait, decked in the vestments of a bishop, 
formed a stained-glass window in the south aisle. 

On the banks of the river stands the village of Greenhithe ; here 
luxurious foliage and red brick dwellings, contrasting with the 
white chalk, have a pleasing effect. A neat pier opens upon the 
principal street, where steamboats call to embark or land passengers. 

Ingress Park is an interesting spot. Formerly Ingress Abbey 
stood here, which was surrendered to Henry VII I., and ultimately 
taken down. The late Alderman Harmer purchased the land of 
Government, and from the stone of old London Bridge built the 
present elegant Tudor-Gothic mansion, with its charming lawn 
spreading down to the marge of the river. 

This little village was the scene of considerable excitement on 
the morning of the 11th of August 1863, when the Royal Yacht 
' Victoria and Albert,' moored off Ingress Abbey, received on board 
H.M. the Queen and members of Her august family, when the 



78 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

pier, the park, and the shore were crowded with loving subjects, 
anxious to testify their loyalty by the waving of hats and 
handkerchiefs. 



STONE, 

Which is the adjoining parish, takes its name from Stane, the 
Saxon for stone, the nature of the soil. It is 17 miles from London, 
and 4^- from Gravesend, and contains 3,305 acres of gravelly land, 
inclusive of nearly 600 acres of wood and marsh, with 193 houses 
and 1,013 Inhabitants. 

The village, as well as the church, stands on the side of a hill 
rising from the Thames, and commands an extensive and beautiful 
landscape, enhanced by the undulating character of the country. 
Near the south-east boundary of the parish is Cockleshell Bank, so 
called from the immense number of those shells found lying close 
and thick, a foot in depth ; a stratum of these bivaives was disco- 
vered at Bexley, two feet in thickness, and twenty feet below the 
surface. 

Stone Castle, once the stronghold of the Lords of Stone, is ancient, 
having been in the possession of the Norwood family early in the 
fourteenth century, and said to have been built on the site of a 
former Norman castle ; the square battled tower at the east end, 
covered with ivy, is all that remains of the original, the other por- 
tions being modern. Sir John Wyllshire (commonly Wiltshire), 
Comptroller of the Town and Marches of Calais and Lord of the 
Manor of Cotton, who died in 1526, possessed it in the reign of 
Henry VII. 

Taking a winding lane on the right of the high road, and passing 
a farm, some neat cottages, the parsonage (a pleasing Gothic 
structure of flint and red brick), and a handsome house on the right, 
we reach Stone Church, built of stone and flints early in the four- 
teenth century, and dedicated to St. Mary. It abounds in fine 
specimens of Early English, Decorated English, and Perpendicular 
styles of architecture, and ranks amongst the finest Gothic churches 
within the diocese of Rochester. 

The massive embattled tower at the west-end contains a peal of 
musical bells, and a clock with two dials painted blue ; formerly an 
octagonal spire of considerable elevation rose from it, but this was 
destroyed by lightning in 1638, when the bells are said to have 
been melted from the intense heat. Near the tower, on the north 
side, is an original doorway full of richness, in elaborated stone- 
carving, which, although stamped by the wear of centuries, still 
retains traces of its former beauty; the windows are fine and 
regular ; the chancel, which is large, rises above the roof of the 



. . STONE. 

church ; on the north side is an ancient chapel built in the Perpen- 
dicular style of architecture, having a fine flying buttress reclining 
against the chancel wall. This chapel — which until recently was 
in ruins— has a vault in the centre, containing the remains of Sir 
John Wyllshire and his lady. 

The external grandeur of a venerable fane warms desire to enter 
its portals; an intelligent man is laying grass, and tending the order 
of the churchyard : he tells us that the rector, the Rev. F. W. 
Murray, is very kindly to visitors, and would, he thought, comply 
with our wishes : — this functionary, whose civility deserves mention, 
was parish clerk and sexton. Profiting by his suggestion, we repair 
to the parsonage, see the rector, and have to acknowledge with 
gratitude that rev. gentleman's kindly attention and courtesy. 

Upon entering the church by the west door we were much im- 
pressed with its beautiful proportions and the grandeur of the 
restoration. Every vestige of Vandalism had been swept away, 
with all trace of the obnoxious whitewasher : so light and elegant, 
the nave and aisles effectively paved with coloured tiles, a sump- 
tuous marble pulpit, handsome open seats, indeed every fitting, 
whether for use or ornament, exquisitely appropriate. A series of 
noble pointed arches springing from clustered columns support an 
open roof. The chancel arch spanning the nave is one of the finest 
in the county, with a rich stringing of elaborate carving, and other 
ornamentations of Petworth marble with which the church abounds. 
There are several memorial and other stained-glass windows. The 
east window "is very fine. One on the south side of the chan- 
cel calls for special notice, as being filled with very ancient stained 
glass, probably of the date of the foundation. There is a piscina 
but no sedilia, although a series of arches on the south wall warrant 
the assumption that they once existed. 

The chancel is paved very beautifully with rich encaustic tiles, 
and the communion-table decked with a superb maroon velvet 
covering, an elaboration of splendid embroidery, the handiwork 
of the talented sister of the rector. 

The chapel on the north of the chancel has also been restored, 
and now forms part of the church. Here is the fine altar-tomb of 
Sir John Wyllshire under a stone arch, and some others. An upper 
screen of memorial glass, the gift of the parishioners, rises over 
the entrance from the north aisle. The chapel is fitted with seats 
for children, where a small organ with diapered pipes has been 
erected. 

There are other good monuments and sepulchral brasses in this 
church. The most elaborate of the latter is on the south side of 
the chancel near the communion-table ; it represents a cross-flori 
elevated on four steps. In the centre above the cross is the figure 
of a priest with inscribed label from the mouth ; round the bordure 
of the flower are other inscriptions, and on the body of the crpss, 



80 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

continued on the steps, is an inscription to the memory of ' John 
Lambarde, Rector of Stone, obiit Mar. 12, 1408.' The shield of 
arms on either side is lost, and portions of the inscription ; an im- 
portant piece, however, was found during the restoration, amongst 
rubbish taken from the roof, thanks to the foresight of the rector, 
who caused all debris to be minutely examined before removed. 

We cannot take leave of this magnificent sanctuary, which has 
afforded us so much pleasure, without recording our high estimate 
of the rector and his coadjutors, in carrying out so perfectly the 
restoration — an honour to the parish and a noble example for in- 
cumbents of ancient churches to emulate. 



SOUTHFLEET. 

A boisterous morning had followed a stormy night when we re- 
paired to the Town Pier for the offices of the. shoeblack before start- 
ing to Southfleet. A friend, bareheaded, salutes us. He had just 
arrived from London, and whilst crossing from Tilbury rude Boreas 
sans ceremonie snatched his chapeau — a casualty, however, speedily 
remedied at Mr. Smoker's in the High Street, than whom no better 
hatter in town or country can be found. 

The sun having broken through threatening clouds now evidently 
dispersing, we start at noon for a five miles' drive through gay and 
beautiful scenery. Choice fruits temptingly adorn the orchards, 
stacks of corn are rapidly rising on every side, the thatcher is active, 
and the ploughman furrows for the next sowing. We pass several 
luxuriant hop-gardens, and after descending a steep hill alight at 
the Ship Inn, Southfleet, where a biscuit and ' Old Cheshire/ toned 
by a cup of good sparkling, proves an acceptable refresher. 

Southfleet, which contains 2,340 acres, 160 houses, and 717 in- 
habitants, and called in Domesday ' SuthfletaJ was a place of im- 
portance during the Saxon Heptarchy, when one of the Kings of 
Kent gave the manor and church to the Priory of St. Andrews, 
Rochester. At the dissolution of the priory the manor reverted 
to the Crown, which Henry VIII. granted to Sir William Petre, 
the King's secretary. Sir William afterwards sold it to William 
Gerrard, who was Lord Mayor of London in 1553, at whose death 
it reverted to his son John, who was also Lord Mayor of London 
in 1611. John Gerrard sold the manor to Sir Charles Sedley, 
descended from an ancient family who had a seat near Southfleet 
called Scadbury, or Scotbury, as early as the year 1337, of which 
a farmhouse is pointed out as the only remains. 

The parish of Southfleet, once studded with goodly mansions and 



SOUTHFLEET. 81 

noble seats, is less known than its historical importance deserves. 
This may be ascribed to the absence of any public road through 
the parish, as well as from most of the ancient stately structures 
having either been removed or converted into farm-houses. There 
can be no doubt that this locality was invested with interest early 
in the Christian era. The Roman highway (Watling Street) ran 
on the northern side of the parish, and a Roman mile-stone dug up 
near Springhead bore the Roman figure X deeply cut on its side, 
to denote the distance from some particular station. Here also were 
turned up by the plough numerous silver and copper coins. Dr. 
Thorpe, a high authority, assumes that the station Vagniacce was 
near this spot, which answers to the numerical figure graven on the 
Roman milliare, as being about ten Italian miles from the Medway 
at Rochester. 

Some important discoveries were made whilst ploughing at a spot 
called Sole field, when an orbicular vessel made of red pottery was 
found, capable of holding twenty gallons. This discovery induced 
further investigation, which unfolded a building of large dimensions, 
resembling a vault, containing a tomb of stone, the receptacle for 
two coffins made of lead, enshrining the perfect skeletons of chil- 
dren. In one of the coffins was a superb gold-linked chain adorned 
with stones and pearls, all more or less decayed. In the same coffin 
were two curious gold rings for bracelets, ornamented with snakes' 
heads, and a smaller one set in representation of a hyacinth. Upon 
removing the pavement of Kentish rag-stone a square sarcophagus, 
four feet in length, was found containing two glass urns, the largest 
being fifteen inches high. In these were ashes and a transparent 
tasteless fluid. Between the urns were two pairs of shoes made of 
fine leather of a purple tint, elaborately wrought with gold ; the 
shoes were much decayed, but sufficiently perfect to demonstrate the 
beauty and richness of workmanship. To trace the history of these 
remarkable relics would be impossible ; still, from the urns con- 
taining human ashes, we may fairly infer the period was during the 
Roman dynasty, which ended early in the fifth century ; and from 
the jewellery and other costly articles, the remains were those of 
distinguished personages, probably royalty. 

We return to the primitive village called Church Street, of some 
dozen quaint houses, including that of the blacksmith, the village 
tailor, a general shop, and the post-office ; the Ship Inn and the 
endowed school stand on the opposite side, shaded by noble walnut 
trees. 

The school, a substantial structure of red brick, was built in 1637. 
A grim-looking erection, with iron-barred door and deserted appear- 
ance, stands at the east end. It is the village * Cage/ happily long 
in disuse. The entrance to the school is by a flight of steps leading 
to an antiquated porch, over which is a stone tablet notifying that 
it was founded by Sir John Sedley, or, as the inscription reads* 

G 



82 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

Sidley, of which we give a literal transcript:—* The Schoole was 
founded by y e piety of Sir John Sidley, Baronet, a.d. 1637, augmented 
by Mrs. Elizabeth Sidley his daughter, a.d. 1639. Polished and 
maintained by Sir Charles Sidley, Baronet, his sone, whom God long 
continue, a.d. 1657. Amen. 1 

We were invited to inspect the interior, which is light and airy, 
divided by a sliding partition to form schools for girls and boys, 
nnder the careful training of Miss Wiggins and Mr. Baker. A 
robin was hopping on the beams during our visit, merrily carolling 
his autumnal song, undisturbed by the chubby urchins beneath. 

The little village was all excitement, and everybody lavish of 
congratulations, even to the kindly hostess of the snug inn, not- 
withstanding her recent severe loss in the death of her husband. A 
Miss Martin, the smith's sister, had just married an old Graves - 
ender, in whom we recognised the original vender of Barnard % s 
Old. 

By the courtesy of the rector, the Rev. G. F. Goddard, we are 
permitted to inspect the grand old church, standing central in its 
ancient cemetery. Opening a gate leading to the churchyard we 
are welcomed by the obliging schoolmaster, who directs attention 
to a gravestone newly erected by Col. Brasyer, one of India's brave 
warriors during the late dreadful rebellion, which brought sorrow 
and desolation to so many British homes. The first name recorded 
is that of his father, John Brasyer ; he died in 1795 : the next, his 
mother, Ann Brasyer, who died in 1837 ; then follows his brother 
John, died 1814; a sister Mary, in 1848; and another brother, 
Thomas, who died in 1851. Colonel Brasyer was born in this 
parish, of parents in humble life. The acumen of a great mind 
induced him to leave his home when a boy, with but a solitary six- 
pence and a mother's blessing to help him in his wanderings. 
Years - many years — roll away, and he returns to the land of his 
birth a distinguished hero, revisits his native village, and raises 
this interesting memorial. 

Southfleet Church, dedicated to St. Nicholas, is built of stone 
and flints, and dates from about the thirteenth century ; externally 
it presents a noble and ecclesiastical appearance, with a massive 
square-embattled tower, furrowed with age, containing a peal of 
good bells. The entrance is by a Gothic porch on the south side, 
over which is a sun-dial resembling that of Milton Church, and 
bearing the same motto, Trifle not, your time's but short. Some of 
the windows have been restored, and filled with stained glass. The 
church door is a curiosity of antiquity, several inches in thickness, 
and studded with bosses of iron ; then, again, the lock, morticed 
in a block of oak, a key nine inches in length, with complex wards, 
to prove that the locksmith's art was matured even in remote ages. 
We enter the church and tread its aisles with reverence : for here 
slumber alike, without mortal distinction, the exalted of the land 



SOUTHFLEET. 83 

and the meanest peasant, where the grandeur of human pomp, long 
since festered into dust, awaits the resurrection morn. 

This interesting church has a nave and aisles, with three noble 
pointed arches on each side. The windows, of two lights mullioned, 
are doubtless of the date of the structure ; in some of these are 
fragments of stained glass equally old. From a stone doorway in 
the tower, and a fine pointed arch opening into the church, there 
can be little doubt that formerly the principal entrance was from 
the west end : it is now partitioned off, and the arch boarded up, 
with a stage of seats for children ranged in front, supporting a 
small organ. Some of the original rude oak carving may be traced 
amongst the incongruous pews, as well as encaustic tiles interspersed 
in the paving, and the outlines of frescoes on the walls, of very 
early date. 

Passing down the nave and under a fine pointed arch, we reach 
the chancel, some forty feet in length. Here are the ancient oak 
stalls of the olden priesthood ; a triple stone sedilia under decorated 
arches supported by grey marble columns, and the piscina in a six- 
foiled arch. The chancel windows have been restored and filled 
with memorial glass ; the east window is very rich, with figures in 
ten compartments to illustrate the history of Our Saviour. In the 
priests' robing room stands a plain oaken chest, containing the 
registers and other records. This is of great antiquity, and sup- 
posed (according to our attendant) to date from the foundation of 
the church. _In this room is another stone niche, which in ages 
past was a receptacle for either holy water or 'an image of the 
Virgin. 

There are some good monuments and memorial brasses ; the most 
remarkable are those of the Sedley family in the south aisle, which 
was formerly a chantry or chapel adjoining the church. Here is 
an altar tomb to the memory of John and Elizabeth Sedley, dated 
early in the fifteenth century, supporting two cleverly wrought 
figures, and two inscriptions in brass, with running inscription on 
every side. On the pavement in front of this tomb is another large 
figure in brass. Near the south wall is a curiously small mummy- 
like figure in brass, evidently very old, but without date ; it bears 
this quaint inscription — Pray for the soul of Thomas Cobbett, on 
whose soul Jesu have mercy. Amen, for charity. The most gor- 
geous monument is against the south wall, rising nearly to the roof, 
and erected to the memory of Joannis Sedley, born 4th January, 
1561, died Sth July, 1605, aged 44. It represents the full figure of 
a knight recumbent on an altar tomb surmounted by a rich marble 
canopy. Behind the eifigy rises an ornamental arch, emblazoned 
with elaborate sculpture forming cherubim, flowers, ' and other 
devices, in every variety of marble and decoration. The morion 
and sword of the knight may be seen on the top of the canopy. 

The octagonal font, which is very ancient, has a scriptural 

G 2 



84 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

subject in each compartment ; some are palpable whilst others appear 
hieroglyphical. We hope the time is not far distant when this time- 
honoured pile, like that of Stone Church, shall have been faithfully 
restored to the glory of God, and the admiration of every lover of 
classical architecture. 



MEOPHAM. 

It was one of those lovely cloudless mornings peculiar to autumn, 
when the air is crisp but not cold, when the spirits become 
vigorous and exuberant, that we had selected for visiting Meopham, 
famous for health and longevity. A Kentish friend (now of our 
house) is to be our companion and whip. We speedily reach 
Shinglewell, which takes its name from the shingly bottom of a 
deep well, now corrupted to Singlewell. The gardens at the Half- 
way House are prettily laid out with rustic arbours and swings, 
and have deserved popularity for pic-nics and juvenile sports 
during the Gravesend season. . 

Within a short distance, at the extremity of a charming lane, 
stands Ifield Church, one of the smallest in the diocese of Roches- 
ter. It was built in the year 1596 and dedicated to St. Margaret 
The arms of Sir John Gerrard, Lord Mayor of London in 1611, are 
emblazoned on the east window. The living is valued at £120. 
The present rector, the Rev. W. Nockells, who succeeded to the 
living in 1860, has caused the interiortobe repaired and beautified, 
and a small organ to be erected. The parish of Ifield is propor- 
tionately small, consisting of 312 statute acres of land, twelve houses, 
and eighty- eight inhabitants. 

Nursted, the next parish, has only nine houses and fifty-seven 
inhabitants, with 510 acres of land. The ancient Gothic "church 
stands on high ground, and forms a pleasing object from several 
points. It has a square tower, and contains some good monuments, 
principally of the Wentworth family. The rector of Nursted 
Church (dedicated to St. Mildred) is the Rev. W. H. Edmeades, 
who has held the living since 1828, in his own right, as patron of 
this as well as of the adjoining parish of Ifield. 

A short drive southward and we near Meopham, pronounced 
Mepham, anciently written Meapaham. This large parish has 
4,693 acres of land, 220 houses, and 1,123 inhabitants. The air is 
remarkably healthy ; the parish abounds in small hamlets. Kiug 
Athelstane gave Meopham to the Duke Eadulph, who presented it 
to Canterbury in 940. Queen Ediva, mother of Kings Edmund 
and Edred, gave Meopham to Christ Church, Canterbury, in the 



MEOPHAM WROTHAM. 85 

year 961, for the benefit of her soul. Henry VI. granted to 
Meopham an annual fair and a weekly market. 

The manor of Dodmore belonged to Sir Peter Huntingfield dur- 
ing the reign of Edward I. Sir Peter was of a noble family, and 
sheriff of the county. Dean Court, a valuable estate, was in the 
possession of Alen de Twitham, a favourite of Richard I., whom 
he attended to the siege of Ascalon in Palestine. 

The distinguished scholar and ecclesiastic, Simon Meopham, or 
rather Mepham, was born in the parish. He was created Arch- 
bishop of Canterbury in 1327, and afterwards consecrated by the 
Pope at Rome. During his primacy he was the subject of much 
persecution. He died at his palace, May field, February 11, 1333, 
and was buried in St. Anselm's Chapel, Canterbury Cathedral, where 
a handsome black marble monument was erected to his memory. 

Meopham, five miles from Gravesend, stands high ; the village 
borders the green. The church, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, is 
large, principally in the decorated style of architecture, with a 
square-battled tower and a ring of bells. It is entered by a quaint 
porch, and consists of a nave and two aisles, with noble pointed 
arches and good windows ; although the wear of centuries marks 
the whole, yet it stands in its original integrity, without modern 
mutilation. Formerly there were some ancient brasses ; the only one 
however remaining is to the memory of John Follham, who died 
in 1455 ; the others were removed during the last century, when the 
bells were recast, and used to supply additional metal. 

Meopham had a church before the Conquest, rebuilt by Archbishop 
Mepham, between the years 1327-33, on the old foundations. It 
was repaired by Archbishop Courteney towards the close of the 
fourteenth century, who built, at the same time, four almshouses 
near it for poor inhabitants. The sombrous churchyard has few 
modern gravestones, but some of the more ancient arrest attention, 
as, having lost every trace of their graven inscriptions from decay, 
they are again reproduced in living characters of moss rooted in the 
feeble outlines. Meopham is a vicarage in the gift of the Archbishop 
of Canterbury ; the Rev. John Hooper succeeded to the living in 
1854. 

Our zealous guide is desirous of extending our drive ; his horse 
is fresh, and so are our spirits ; we hail his proposal, and at once 
start for — 



WROTHAM, 

Six miles distant from Meopham ; the scenery is highly picturesque, 
especially from the elevated range of chalk hills. We pause on the 
summit of Wrotham hill in admiration of the gorgeous prospect 
southward in the vale beneath, outspread on nature's carpet to the 



86 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

utmost bound of vision ; feelings of awe crowd on us as we eon- 
template this mighty contexture of woods and stately trees — 
churches, villages, hamlets, and homesteads — noble mansions and 
cottages all alike illumined by the orb of day ; whilst the tinkle of 
numberless cattle scattered on all sides, the poetry of rural life, 
give animation to the whole. We linger on the marge of this 
magnificent picture, and then slowly descend to the town. 

Wrotham is a parish five miles in length and three in breadth, 
covering 8,878 statute acres, with 671 houses and 3,336 inhabitants ; 
the high road from London to Maidstone runs through the town, in 
the centre of which is the market place. During the rebellion of 
Sir Thomas Wyatt, Sir Robert Southwell, sheriff of the county, 
with a band of gentlemen and yeomen, encountered Sir Henry Isley 
and his followers in Blacksole field, whom they defeated with great 
slaughter ; sixty of the rebels were taken prisoners, and the slain 
buried on the battle field. 

King Ethelstan gave Wrotham to the monks of Christ Church, 
Canterbury, in 964, which they retained until after the Conquest. 
The remains of an archiepiscopal palace stand on the east side of 
the church, which, very anciently, was the residence of several 
archbishops until the primacy of Simon Islip, who pulled down the 
larger portion during the reign of Edward III. and sent the materials 
to Maidstone for the completion of his new palace. The manor, 
with the ruins of the palace, were conveyed to Henry VIII. , but 
his successor Edward VI. granted the manor and park of Wrotham 
to Sir John Mason. 

Little Wrotham, a small manor of 130 acres, was in the possession 
of Geoffry Talbot in the reign of Henry I., who gave it to Bishop 
Gundulph, and the Church of St. Andrew, Rochester. There are 
other small manors in this parish, as well as ancient mansions more 
or less fallen to decay, and some good seats, to detail which would 
exceed our purpose. 

Wrotham Church, dedicated to St. George, stands north of the 
town, at the base of the hill. It is a noble structure built of stone 
and flints, with a nave, aisles, transept, and chancel. According to 
the decorated style of architecture which prevailed, from Edward I. 
to Edward III., it dates from the early part of the fourteenth century. 
It has a fine groined archway under the square tower, which con- 
tains musical bells and a clock. Some of the decorated windows 
have been restored, and filled with memorial glass ; the pointed 
arches are fine, and, judging from our only opportunity of inspecting 
the interior through a grated door, the church has been large y 
restored. 

We make the circuit of the churchyard, amongst affecting 
mementos of departed friends. Time has blotted out many ancient 
inscriptions; others tell of the past century; whilst those of the 
present speak touchingly of the love of sorrowing survivors:* 



WROTHAM DENTON. 87 

Accompany us to the east end of the church, and under yon rich 
chancel window meditate over a simple spot, enclosed by an iron 
railing with a small open gate — it is the grave of a beloved 
father ! — 

For whom no more the blazing hearth shall burn, 

Or busy housewife ply her evening care ; 
No children run to lisp their sire's return, 

Or climb his knee the envied kiss to share. 

We read that he shook off mortality with the last year ; but see 
the affecting tribute of dear children; — a wreath of jessamine strung 
on wire graces the head-stone; a cross of fragrant flowers rests 
midway of the mound, and continues to the base; all around 
blossom in floral beauty the daily care of loving hearts. Where 
the rude hand that dare disturb them ? Where the heart that can 
witness such tributes of love, so full of pathos, without emotion? 

It is nearing seven, the day wanes, a hilly journey of eleven 
miles before us, and, but for our cicerone, strangers to the road ; 
we are however in safe hands, speed homeward, and with the curfew 
hour reach Gravesend in safety. 



DENTON. 



On our way to Denton we stop at Milton Church, to read a 
memorial stone just placed on the south side of the tower entrance. 
It was erected at the cost of the rector, to the memory of Elizabeth 
Ribbens, who died at Thames Terrace, Gravesend, in January 1862, 
at the surprising age of 105 years and seven months. Mrs. Ribbens 
was a native of Meopham, her husband a servant of the late Mr. 
Becket, brewer of Gravesend, on whose premises he lost his life 
many years since, and from whose death the family liberally main- 
tained the widow. We frequently during our annual sojourn visited 
her. On the last occasion, the September previous to her death, she 
was evidently failing, her appetite had become bad, and her mind 
much clouded; this venerable woman lived to have a grand-daughter 
50, and a great- grand- daughter 25 years of age. 

Denton, called in Domesday Danitane, or Dane town, as having 
been the habitation of the Danes, contains, including land under 
cultivation, marsh and water, 1,320 acres, 23 houses, and 101 inha- 
bitants ; it is distinguished as Denton near Gravesend from that of 
Denton near Canterbury, and belonged to the Priory of St. Andrew's, 
Rochester, in 945 ; it was confiscated by King Harold, but afterwards 
restored in 1076; Henry VIII. gave this manor to the Dean and 
Chapter of Rochester. 



88 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

The church, dedicated to St. Mary, is described as a small building, 
with one aisle, a chancel, and bell-tower, standing on a bank close 
to the road side. According to Kilburn, service was celebrated 
here down to the middle of the seventeenth century, when it was prin- 
cipally taken down. At that time there were only two houses -and a 
farm near the church ; the farm-yard is the supposed site of the ceme- 
tery, from human bones having been frequently dug up. 

The remains of Denton Church stand in the grounds of a iiand- 
some house, nearly hidden from the road by a lofty brick wall. We 
were desirous of a near inspection, but the hour was seven in the 
morning, certainly not the time for visiting, more especially as 
being strangers to the proprietor. Still curiosity was awakened ; we 
boldly rang the bell, a distant foot-fall traverses the long path from 
the house, anon the gate is opened, we confront a domestic, tell our 
errand, and are conducted to that gentleman, who unhesitatingly 
accords our request. Threading our way through shrubs and trees, 
we reach the precincts of all that remains of a sanctuary before the 
Conquest ; the ivy-mantled arches are beautiful even in decay, and 
the crumbling walls stand, the solitary witnesses of that prayer and 
praise which in remote ages ascended from this Temple of God on 
earth to the threshold of that heaven to which every Christian mind 
aspires. 

We had no means for correct measurement, but, judging by pacing 
within the walls, its dimensions are about 40 feet by 18 feet, closely 
corresponding to that of Ifield Church. A pointed arch of stone 
and flints, in height about 18 feet by 8 feet, divides the chancel from 
the nave ; this is tolerably perfect ; its wing walls, covered with ivy, 
rise to an apex above the arch, the elevation of the original roof. 
Thirteen feet east of the chancel arch are the remains of the east 
window, a small pointed arch, 6 feet by 3 feet, with parts of its 
side walls still standing. Here again that living companion of 
mouldering ruins clings and clambers to the very summit in solemn 
grandeur. Those portions of the north and south walls which still 
remain extend from the chancel arch to the western extremity, in 
length about 27 feet. The south wall is very curious ; for, although 
originally built of stone and flints, it has traces of repairs with brick 
at a remote period. In this wall also are the remains of a low stone 
arch, with short columns and capitals mouldered away and all but 
obliterated. Altogether this is a most interesting relic, and we feel 
grateful for the privilege of minute examination ; still we might 
express regret that, from being private property, and scarcely visible 
above the lofty walls that enclose it, much less interest is excited 
than its sacred character and remote antiquity claim. 

A pleasing walk of little more than half a mile from Denton brings 
us to — 



89 



CHALK, 

That takes its name from the Saxon word cealc, signifying chalk- 
stone. This parish contains 2,224 acres (including water and marsh 
land), 78 houses, and 382 inhabitants. The southern side of the 
parish is hilly and fertile, whilst the north is flat and marshy. 

William the Conqueror gave Chalk to his half-brother Odo, 
Bishop of Bayeux, upon whose disgrace the manor was divided into 
East and West Chalk. The hamlet of East Chalk lies adjacent to 
the marshes, and is not considered healthy, especially in autumn, 
when agues are common. A fair is held here on Whit Monday. 
The manor of East Chalk belonged to John, son of Herbert de Burgo, 
Earl of Kent, during the reign of Henry III. ; that of West Chalk 
was in the possession of John de Cobham in the same reign ; but 
at the dissolution of monasteries, Henry VIII. conferred on George 
Lord Cobham the manor of East Chalk, in addition to that of West 
Chalk, which he possessed in his own right. 

The church stands on the brow of a hill at the top of a lane on 
the left of the road ; it is dedicated to St. Mary, and is of great an- 
tiquity. As early as 1287 (15th Edward I.) it belonged to the 
Benedictine Priory at Norwich. In 1379 it was exchanged with 
the Master of Cobham College for the Church of Martham in 
Norfolk, and remained part of the possessions of that college until 
the 30th of Henry VIII. (1539), when it was sold to Lord George 
Cobham. 

Chalk Church, isolated from human habitation, peers over some 
venerable elms, and forms a pleasing object as we diverge from the 
road on our way to it ; the old battled tower, of early English ar- 
chitecture, rises before us, clothed in ivy on the south side, with its 
three bells and time-stricken walls that may yet brave many ages. 
Gothic architecture however, which has many licenses in whimsical 
sculpture, seldom presents such sportive fancy in a sacred edifice as 
that over the porch door, the only entrance to the church, where a 
bacchanalian figure is represented clutching with both hands a jug, 
while grinning at another figure above the centre moulding equally 
grotesque. Between the figures is a niche, in which formerly stood 
an image of the virgin saint to whom the church is dedicated. In 
the south-east corner of the porch are the remains of a receptacle 
for holy water. The font is very ancient, the proof being its size, 
which, according to Grose and Warton, are ancient in proportion 
as they are capacious, being originally used for total immersion, 
with perforations to let off the consecrated water that it might not 
be used hy common people for purposes of sorcery. Some of the 
windows have been restored, beyond which little has been done in 
that direction. 



90 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

An ancient screen divides the nave from the chancel, over which 
are the royal arms, painted and framed, with the initials C. R. 
and the date 1600 : here are sedilia and an odd niche on the north 
side of the chancel. The north wall excites curiosity, from having 
the stone heads and tracery of several Gothic windows within six 
feet of the pavement. Some archaeologists who surveyed the church 
a few years since, and which they considered dated from the eleventh 
century, were of opinion that some convulsion of nature many cen- 
turies ago had caused the north side to sink many feet : hence the 
window-heads in their present position. In the nave is a brass 
plate to the memory of William Martin, a great benefactor to the 
church, who died in 1416. Amongst the monuments is that of 
* Henry Roy, Vicar of Chalke,' and another for Edward Dering and 
Elizabeth his wife, obiit 1698. 

We have been much interested; and, in taking leave of Chalk 
Church and the rector, the Rev. William Joynes, who has shown 
us much attention, beg to thank that gentleman, not only for our- 
selves, but more especially for his courtesy to our ladies, to whom 
he kindly gave seats in his carriage on their return to Gravesend — a 
compliment to strangers we desire thus publicly to acknowledge. 

Earl Darnley has given an eligible site of land and £50 to- 
wards the erection of a National School, to cost £350 ; the present 
schools being only two small rooms in a cottage, with an average 
attendance of forty children, which could be considerably augmented 
were proper accommodation provided. 



SHOENE and MERSTON. 

Merston, formerly Merestune, forms part of the parish of Shorne 
in its civil jurisdiction, and as such assessed to the maintenance of 
the poor from the time of Queen Elizabeth. In its ecclesiastical 
state it still remains a separate parish. The church, dedicated to 
St. Giles, was a chapel to the Church of Shorne, of which only a 
few ruins remain. The living, value £90, in the gift of the Lord 
Chancellor, has been conferred on the Rev. William Jovnes, Vicar 
of Chalk. 

The parish of Merston (of 150 acres) bounds that of Shorne on 
three sides, and Higham on the fourth, in which there were no in- 
habitants in 1455. In a line between the churches of Shorne and 
Higham is a small wood of some five acres, called Chapel Wood, 
as being the spot where the ruins of the church stand. In this 
wood is a deep entrenchment, anciently a fortification, forming a 
square of about three acres, the bides corresponding to the cardinal 



SHORNE AND MERSTON. 91 

points of the compass. The Chapel of St. Giles measured 45 feet 
by 21, but long before it fell into decay was in comparative disuse, 
for, according to the Textus Roffensis, John Hedon, when licensed 
chaplain by the Bishop of Rochester, was not obliged to reside or 
exercise the cure of souls here till parishioners should resort thither to 
dwell. As, however, the church was then standing, the chaplain or 
his representative was to celebrate mass annually therein on the 
feast of St. Giles, Confessor and Abbot, and in the meantime cause 
it to be decently repaired. 

Shorne and Merston jointly consist of 3,214 acres, 963 inha- 
bitants, and 190 houses. In the Textus Roffensis it is written 
Scorene, and in other ancient documents Soncs and Schornes. The 
high road from London to Rochester runs through it, southward of 
which rises the village beyond some orchards and enclosures of 
sturdy trees. The church stands in the village, gay in rich foliage 
and abundant fruit trees. The soil of this parish is a fertile loam ; 
the scenery very picturesque, with pleasing walks between Shorne 
and the high road, in the direction of the Half-way or Beef-steak 
House, and on the west by the hamlets of Shorne, Ifield, and 
Thong : here is Randle Heath and Shorne Wood, and on the west 
Randle Hail. At the extremity of the parish, on the river bank, 
stands Shorne Battery. A lovely walk to this spot is at high water 
by the river-side from Milton, passing the well-known ' Ship and 
Lobster,' where refreshments and civility abound, to the gratifica- 
tion of many who, after imbibing freely the bracing breeze and 
feasting on gorgeous landscape, incline to rest and renovate on 
more substantial viands. 

The manor of Shorne belonged to the Crown in the reign of 
Henry II., afterwards to Henry de Cobham. On the disgrace of 
Henry Lord Cobham in 1604 it was forfeited to the Crown, and 
then granted to the Earl of Salisbury by King James ; since then 
it was sold to Alderman Woodyer of Rochester, and by him con- 
veyed in 1752 to Thomas Gordon. There is a court- leet and court- 
baron held for this manor under the title of The Manor of Shorne, 
with the Hundred of Shamel appendant to the same. The manor of 
Randle, formerly Roundale and Rundale, was anciently of some 
note as one of the seats of the house of Cobham previous to that of 
Cobham Hall. It was sold in 1793 to Earl Darnley. 

On the west side of the London road are some ruins, of which no 
evidence exists as to their foundation ; but whilst excavating some 
years since for a building, a stone cofim and human bones were dug 
up in its vicinity, which circumstance has warranted the supposition 
that they are the remains of a chantry or oratory. The windmill 
on the hill at Shorne is a most conspicuous object, and may be seen 
for many miles distant. 

Shorne Church, dedicated to the Apostles SS. Peter and Paul, is 
another of those battled-tower venerable Gothic fanes with which 



S2 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

Kent abounds. Henry I. gave it to the Monastery of St. Saviour'^ 
at Bermondsey, in whose possession it remained until Henry VIII., 
when that monarch conferred it on the Dean and Chapter of Ro- 
chester. The chancel formerly belonged to the manor of Randle, 
but when forfeited to the crown in 1604, with the estates of Henry 
Lord Cobham, it devolved to the parish. The font, made of Be- 
thersden marble, is both ancient and curious, and resembles that of 
Southfleet Church, octangular inform, with Scripture subjects carved 
in each of the eight compartments round the basin. The architec- 
ture is decorated English, which prevailed in the fourteenth century, 
the probable date of the church. 

Here are some good monuments and sepulchral brasses. Amongst 
the former is that of Sir Henry de Cobham, le Uncle, to distinguish 
him from his namesake and nephew of Cobham Hall. Sir Henry 
highly distinguished himself at the siege of Caerlaverock, in reward 
for which he was knighted by Edward I., and five times filled the 
office of Sheriff of Kent. His altar-monument stands north-east of 
the chancel, bearing the recumbent figure of the knight in chain 
mail, with an inscription in French, written in ancient capital letters. 
Amongst the memorial brasses are those of John Smyth, who died 
in 1437 ; John Smith and Marian his wife, 1457 ; William Pepyr, 
vicar, 1468; Thomas Ellys, vicar, 1569; Edmund Page, 1550; and 
Elynor Allen, 1583. Eastward of these is a stone bearing the arms 
of Captain Robert Porten, of the manor of Randle, with an inscrip- 
tion to the memory of his wife Elizabeth, obiit 1704. 

William Pepyr, vicar, who died in 1468, gave his dwelling-house 
for the repairs of the vicarage ; and Thomas Page, an inhabitant, 
gave under his will, dated 1495, his house called Normans, in Upper 
Shorne, as a dwelling for the vicar and his successors. 

Sir John Northwood held large estates in this parish in the reign 
of Edward I., the tenure of which he changed from gavelkind to 
knight's service, and accompanied the king in his victorious ex- 
pedition into Scotland. His grandson, Roger de Northwood, who 
succeeded him, held these estates of the king (Edward III.) in 
capite, by the service, with others of the king's tenants, of carrying 
a white standard towards Scotland for forty days during the wars 
at his own cost, a custom in England at that time. 

Shorne boasted in olden times a celebrity, in the person of ' Mais- 
ter John Shorne,' or * Sir John Shorne,' who was famous not only 
for the cure of agues, but as the custodian of the devil, whom he 
imprisoned in a boot. Shrines were erected to his memory. In 
two churches at Norfolk he is figured with a glory round his head 
on the rood screen, whilst at Windsor a chapel bore his name. 



93 



HIGHAM. 



Higham, anciently written Hercham, Hegham, and Heahhum, con- 
tains 3,155 statute acres, 211 houses, and 1,064 inhabitants. The 
soil is fertile, and produces large quantities of superior vegetables 
for the surrounding markets ; but the air is not considered healthy, 
from its proximity to the marshes. Higham was part of the posses- 
sions of Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, until his disgrace, when it reverted 
to the crown. King Stephen gave Higham, otherwise Lillechurch, 
to William de Ipre, Earl of Kent, in exchange for the manor of Fa- 
versham. After the death of the king, William de Ipre, with the 
rest of the Flemish, were expelled the kingdom, when it again came 
into possession of the crown. 

King Stephen founded a nunnery here about the year 1151, over 
which his daughter the Princess Mary presided, when the commu- 
nity consisted of fifteen nuns of the Benedictine order. The nun- 
nery was afterwards rebuilt near the east end of the church. In 
1320, when visited by the Bishop of Rochester, there were only 
eight nuns, and in 1502, upon the election of a prioress, there re- 
mained only three nuns on the foundation: the community was 
wholly suppressed in 1521. A farmhouse called Abbey Farm has 
been built on part of the original foundations, of which those por- 
tions of stone with Gothic windows are considered remains of the 
ancient abbey. Contiguous to the farmyard are the ruins of some 
of the walls, covered with ivy. 

Henry VIII. gave to Bishop Fisher the manor of Higham, the 
site of the nunnery, and the parsonage, for St. John's College, Cam- 
bridge ; the college to provide a priest to officiate daily in the chapel 
of the convent, to celebrate a mass of requiem four times a year, and to 
distribute twelve pence yearly on Michaelmas day to the poor of the 
parish. 

Not far from the church, in the flat country, is the hamlet and 
manor of Higham Ridgeway. Here are considerable remains of a 
Roman causeway leading to the river, nearly thirty feet wide, the 
repairs of which were formerly chargeable on the Priory of Higham. 
It is said that Plautius the Roman general crossed by this way from 
Essex into Kent when in pursuit of the flying Britons, a.d. 43 — an 
opinion endorsed by Dr. Thorpe and Dr. Plott, two celebrated 
authorities. This passage is supposed to have formed a causeway 
across the river from East Tilbury in Essex, which was then ford- 
able. About twenty years since some Roman vessels and a number 
of coins were exhumed near it. 

Great and Little Oakley are two reputed manors in this parish. 



94 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

Their names comeTroni the Saxon ac or ake, an oak, and ly, a field, 
written Aclea. meaning * the place of oaks.' In the reign of Edward I. 
both these estates were in the possession of William de Clere. 
Great Oakley descended to Nicholas de St. Clere, who, as well as 
his successors, were lessees to the Abbey of Higham. In the reign 
of Henry VII. it formed part of the possessions of Sir John Sedley, 
of Southfleet, whose son, Sir Charles, sold it to Mr. Shales, of Ports- 
mouth. Little Oakley was the property of John de St. Clere in the 
20th of Edward III. Sir Charles Sedley was in possession of it in 
the reign of Charles II., and, after passing from him through several 
hands, it was ultimately sold in 1760 to Mr. William Gates, of Ro- 
chester, whose son George, town clerk of Rochester, inherited it at 
his decease in 1768. George Gates died in 1792, when it became 
the property of his sister. There are no courts held for either of 
these manors. 

In the reign of Edward VI. Sir Anthony St. Ledger held an -es- 
tate here called ' The Brooks,' consisting of marsh lands in Higham, 
which he conveyed to the king ; it afterwards came into the 
possession of the Stuarts, Dukes of Richmond, from whom it passed 
in like manner as Cobham Hall to Earl Darnley. Another estate, 
called Mockbeggar, lies at the east end of the parish, on the road 
from Frindsbury to Cliffe. South-east, on a hill, stands the ' Her- 
mitage,' an elegant seat, commanding lovely scenery of the Medway 
and Thames, stretching to the Nore, and of a vast extent of land- 
scape in Kent and Essex. Sir Francis Head rebuilt this seat, where 
he resided ; he was also possessed of other goodly estates, including 
the manor of Higham Ridgeway. At his death in 1768 the seat 
and estates devolved by settlement to his widow, Lady Head, who 
died in 1792, when the property was divided amongst descendants 
of the family. It is said that this mansion is exuberant in decora- 
tion — the ceilings especially — with a superb drawing or ball room 
on the west side of unusual dimensions. 

Higham extends nearly four miles from south-east to north-west, 
and but little more than a mile in breadth. It lies low, next the 
marshes, the Thames being the northern boundary. The village 
and church stand close to the marshes, which comprise nearly half 
the parish. On the eastern side the land is hiffh and the soil 
light. 

Gad's Hill, in this neighbourhood, claims a passing word from its 
association with Shakspere, when gads, or rogues, were wont to way- 
lay unwary travellers ; where the Danish ambassador was robbed 
in 1656, for which he received next day an apology from his ma- 
rauders, for the necessity that compelled them to wait on him at Gad's 
Hill In Shakspere's 4 King Henry IV (Act I. sc. ii.), Poins, in 
addressing Prince Henry, is made to say : But, my lads, my lads, to- 
morrow morning by four o'clock early, at Gadshill : There are pil- 
grims going to Canterbury with rich offerings, and traders riding to 



HIGHAM. 95 

London with fat purses : I have visors for you all, you have horses for 
yourselves. And again, in Act II., after the robbery of the travel- 
lers, supposed to have been enacted near the present * Sir John Fal- 
staff Inn,' when Falstaff and his * men of buckram ' are about to 
divide the booty, comes the memorable illustration of * thief robbing 
thief,' in the address of Prince Henry to Poins, as — Now, could 
thou and I rob the thieves, and go merrily to London, it would be argu- 
ment for a week, laughter for a month, and a good jest for ever. 

Gad's Hill, however, was notorious for robberies before Shaks- 
pere. In 1558 a ballad was published entitled The Robbers of Gad's 
Hill. Sir Roger Manwood, Chief Baron of the Exchequer, writes 
in 1590 : Many robberies were done at Gadeshill by horse- thieves, 
with such fat and lusty horse's as were not like hackney horses, nor for 
journeying horses, and one of them sometimes wearing a vizard grey 
beard, and no man durst travel that way without great company. 

On the brow of the hill stands the ' Sir John Falstaff Inn,' and 
swinging on the signpost in front, until lately, a supposed resem- 
blance of the obese gourmand and his libertine prince, which, from 
long exposure, was nearly obliterated, and is now taken down. We 
alight here : Shakspere has given interest to the spot, and so does 
yon elegant structure overlooking magnificent landscape, reposing 
in delightful grounds of charming flowers sheltered by luxurious 
trees : it is the country home of Charles Dickens, our great Eng- 
lish novelist We at once call to remembrance the thousand-and-one 
inimitable beauties he has penned ; pictures of real life that reach our 
inmost sympathies as an impressive reality, clothed in the tender- 
ness of human love, such as alone can emanate from a refined mind 
and exalted genius that shall long outlive monuments of stone and 
brass. 

High am Tunnel, a considerable cutting through the chalk cliff, 
cost £350,000. The Medway Canal ran through it until the forma- 
tion of the North Kent Railway, when it was filled up, and now 
forms a tunnel for railway transit. 

The parish of Higham had a church before the Conquest. The 
present structure, dedicated to St. Mary, is of great antiquity ; as 
early as 1357 it was repaired by the prioress of the Benedictine 
nunnery. Some historians affirm that Mary, daughter of King Ste- 
phen, contributed towards the reparation of this venerable pile. If 
this be correct, the church dates early in the twelfth century. It 
consists of a nave, two aisles, a double chancel, and a low tower at 
the west end containing two bells. Here is a piscina, a curious 
font, some ancient tiles, and several interesting memorials. 

The church is undergoing complete restoration, and the vandal- 
isms of the last century removed; the chancel reconstructed and 
paved with Minton's tiles, and an appropriate railing to enclose the 
whole. The tower and spire are to be rebuilt, for which designs 
have been prepared. 



96 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

Within the inner doorway, behind a primitive iron chest, is the 
marble tomb of Joan de Hadloe, prioress of the nunnery, who died 
ad. 1328. Above this altar tomb is a mural monument for Robert 
Hylton, yeoman to Henry VIII., who died 1529. Amongst other 
interesting monuments are those of Elizabeth Boteler, 1615, and 
members of this ancient family; the Rev. W. Inglett, vicar, 1659 ; 
the Rev. Richard Pearson, 1710 ; an altar tomb for Anne Cardwell, 
1642; Elizabeth Parker, of Shinglewell, 1670; Sir Francis Head, 
1768 ; and Lady Mary Head, 1792. The living, valued at £518 per 
annum, is a vicarage, and in the patronage of St. John's College, 
Cambridge. The Rev. Joseph Hindle, B.D., succeeded to the 
incumbency in 1829. 

A handsome new church in the Gothic style has recently been 
erected at a cost of upwards of £2,800, near the ' Sir John Falstaff 
Inn,' a short distance from the high road, in which there is an 
effective organ built by Willis, of London, the gift of F. Stunt, Esq. 



CLIFFE. 

Our trip to Cliffe was to have been early in the day, but it rains 
heavily ; we therefore substitute the morning paper, just sent by 
Mrs. Isern, our obliging news medium, which brings noon as well 
as fine weather. There is something very beautiful in a country 
drive after a showery morning, when nature puts forth her loveliest 
hues in richest foliage, and charming flowers diffuse their sweetest 
odours. Such was the day that smiled upon us as we journeyed to 
Cliffe, where we alight at the village inn, bearing the euphonic sign 
of the ' Six Bells.' 

Cliffe, anciently Clive, or Clives-Hoo, and sometimes Bishops- 
Clive, now called Cliffe-at-Hoo, to distinguish it from the parish 
of the same name near Dover, covers 7,830 statute acres, of which a 
considerable portion is , marsh land, with 205 houses and 980 inha- 
bitants. The ancient village called Church Street stands, with its 
church, on the northern summit of a towering chalk ridge, over- 
hanging extensive marshes on the banks of the Thames. In remote 
times it was a station for Watch and Ward to the river. In the 
reign of Richard II. beacons were erected here, when the watch- 
men were commanded, on the approach of hostile vessels, to light 
them, and to make all the noise by horn and by cry that thy can make, 
to warn the country around to come with their force to the said river, 
each to succour the other to withstand their enemies. At that time the 
village was of large extent and of considerable importance ; but in 
1520 a fearful conflagration destroyed the larger portion, from which 
it never recovered. 



CLIFFE. 97 

During the Saxon heptarchy synods of the clergy and laity were 
convoked here. These assemblies were remarkable for their splen- 
dour and the exalted personages composing them. The king and 
the Archbishop of Canterbury were joint presidents. The king, 
with his nobles, represented the laity, and the archbishops, bishops, 
and abbots the clergy. Between the years 668 and 825 eight sy- 
nods were holden at Cliffe. The first on record was convoked by 
Theodorus, who was Archbishop of Canterbury from 668 to 690. 
He held two, one at Hereford, and the other at ' Clives-hoo, near 
Rochester.' Archbishop Cuthbert held the next synod in 742, when 
Ethelbald, King of Mercia, presided, at which a decree was insti- 
tuted commanding that: * Priests should first learn and then teach their 
parishioners the Lord's Prayer and the Articles of their Belief, in the 
English tongue' In 747 King Ethelbald, with the same arch- 
bishop, assembled the third synod, which was carried out with re- 
markable pomp and state. The next council was in 798, five years 
after the translation of Athelard to the see of Canterbury. He con- 
voked other synods in 800 and 803. Cenulph, King of Mercia, pre- 
sided at both, which happened in troublesome times, when the Danes 
were harassing the realm. The remaining synods were in 822 
and 824, under the presidency of Bernulfe, King of Mercia, and 
Archbishop Wulfred. These resulted in the restoration to the 
church of certain lands which had been estranged from it. Arch- 
bishop Wulfred, in consequence, is reputed one of its best bene- 
factors. 

The manor of Cliffe formed part of the possessions of Christ 
Church, Canterbury, early in the Saxon rule, which they held down 
to Henry V1IL, when it was conferred on Sir George Brooke, Lord 
Cobham. Berry, or Perry Court, a manor belonging to Lord 
Cobham, was forfeited to James I., but afterwards given to Robert 
Earl of Salisbury, whose wife, Elizabeth, was sister of the fallen 
Henry Lord Cobham. Mallingden, called Molland, also called Dene, 
another manor in this parish, was the property of Christ Church 
until the dissolution of the priory, when, like that of Cliffe, it re- 
verted to Henry VIII. Queen Elizabeth bestowed this manor on 
"William Ewens, who afterwards alienated it to a Mr. Brown. The 
present owner is Mr. Harvey, of Gravesend Cardons, or Cardans, 
a manor named after the original proprietor, Robert Cardon, was 
granted by Edward IV. to the Carthusian Monastery in London 
(now known as the Charter House), but on the suppression of the 
brotherhood became the property of the Crown. A small manor 
at the southern extremity of the parish, called Mortimers, was the 
estate of a noble family of that name during the reign of Edward I. 
It was part of the possessions of Sir John Sedley, and was granted 
a fair by Edward III. 

An ancient custom prevails in this parish which imposes on the 
rector, or his representative, the annual distribution of a loaf of 

H 



98 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

bread and a mutton pie, on St James's Day (25th July), to as many 
poor inhabitants as may demand it. The origin of the custom is 
unknown. Some little time since attempts were made to substitute 
money, but unsuccessfully, and the custom is of necessity perpe- 
tuated, although the applicants are few. 

ClifFe Church, dedicated to St. Helen, is of remote date, and is a 
good example of early English architecture. The chancel is of the 
Decorated order, and the tracery of the windows on either side is 
generally considered very fine ; a noble embattled tower at the west 
end has a groined roof and three lancet windows, a clock, and a 
peal of six bells, cast in the years 1616, 1630, 1670, and 1675. 

The extreme length of this interesting church is 216 feet; the 
chancel measuring 50 feet, the nave 150, and the tower 16 feet. 
The nave is divided from the aisles by massive circular columns 
supporting noble pointed arches. Against the first column on the 
south side is the very ancient font, the antiquity of which is indi- 
cated by its magnitude. The triple sedilia and double piscina are 
richly carved in flowers, figures and grotesque heads. A finely 
carved rood screen of three arches separates the nave from the 
chancel. The ancient stalls of the monks of Christ Church, Can- 
terbury, are still preserved in the chancel. The east window, origin- 
ally in five lights, and of the same date as the church, has been 
superseded by another, the beauty of which may be questioned. 
The carved oak pulpit bears the date 1634, and the rest, which in 
olden times supported an hour glass, that of 1636. There are a 
few remains of rich stained glass in a window in the north aisle 
representing the Virgin and Child, and an ancient vessel, with 
an upper deck lighted by semi-circular windows. 

The north and south transepts were formerly chantries ; that on 
the north side, now used as the robing- room, has the remains of 
two Gothic windows, and a larger one blocked up. This latter act 
is to be regretted, as largely detracting from the general effect of a 
finely detailed structure. The wall of the south chantry was ori- 
ginally covered with fresco-painting, which, from frequent white- 
washing, has been hidden. Some two years since a laudable desire 
was evinced to remove an abomination of the seventeenth century, 
and to restore, if possible, this early work of art ; but unfortunately, 
from using wrong material, the operator nearly obliterated the 
whole, save the outline of a fine head encircled in a halo. Amongst 
the Communion plate is a very ancient paten of silver gilt, used for 
the consecrated wafer by the priesthood in olden times. Jtis richly 
enamelled in colours of green and blue, and represents the Deity, 
our Saviour nailed to the cross, a descending dove, and other detail. 
Around this paten or salver, measuring six inches in diameter, is the 
following inscription — ' Benedicamus Patrem et FUium cum Spiriiu 
Sancto? 

Few of the monumental brasses remain that once abounded in 



CLIFFE. 99 

the nave and chancel. There is one to the memory of Bonham 
Faunce, dated 1652, with the figures of a man and his two wives 
and two children ; another for Thomas Faunce, his wife, and chil- 
dren ; a third for Elizabeth Grisome, who died in 1658, and a 
fourth with the effigies of two children. On one of the pillars, near 
the tomb of the Baynard family, is an inscription on a brass plate, 
recording the bequests of John Browne, under his will dated 7th 
June, 1679 — ' For the education of twelve poor children, and a man 
and woman to teach them. 9 Many very ancient stones exhibit the 
mortices which once held elaborated brasses, two especially in the 
nave, near the chancel, on one of which may be traced the figure 
of a bishop, wearing a mitre and bearing a crosier. 

In the nave are several coffin-shaped stones, with crosses, of great 
antiquity. Two of these bear inscriptions in Saxon capitals ; that 
to the memory of John Ram must be of remote date, from the pe- 
riod he held the manor of Cardans. The inscription reads thus — 
' lone la femme Iohan Ham gyt yci Deu de sa alme eit merci; 7 the 
other reads, * Elienore de Clive gist ici Deu de sa alme eit merci. 
Amen, par charie. 7 In 1857 the exterior of Cliffe Church was tho- 
roughly repaired, and an unsightly buttress, erected some years 
since against the tower after its injury by lightning, removed. 

About a mile from the church is the rectory, an ancient Gothic 
structure, built in ecclesiastical style, with heavy buttresses, arched 
doorways, and battled. The Archbishop of Canterbury is patron 
of this living, worth £1,297 per annum. The rector is the Rev. 
James Croft, D.D., who was presented to it in 1818. In addition 
to the living of Cliffe, Dr. Croft is Canon and Archdeacon of Can- 
terbury; he has also been Rector of Saltwood, in this county, since 
1812. The latter living alone, according to the Clergy List, is worth 
£784 per annum. 



COWLING. 

Cowling, or Cooling, anciently written Culing, or Culinges, from 
the Saxon cu, a cow, and ling, a pasture, signifying i Cows' pasture 7 
lies eastward from Cliffe, and comprises 1,544 acres, 26 houses, and 
121 inhabitants. This parish, from its isolated position, is little 
frequented, although in Saxon times it is supposed to have been one 
of their early settlements. Th^ soil northward lies low and flat, 
being a heavy wet clay and unhealthy; the land, however, rises 
southward to a high hill, upon which is a handsome seat called 
* Lodge Hill,' which embraces superb scenery. 

In 808, Cenulf, King of Mercia, gave to his faithful servant, 
Eadulf, ' one plough land and a half, with all its appurtenances in 
Culinges, according to the bounds mentioned in the Charter 7 In 961, 

H2 

L.ofC. 



100 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

Queen Ediva, mother of Kings Edmund and Eadred, gave to the 
Priory of Christ Church, Canterbury, all her lands in Culinge, free 
of secular service, save the maintaining of castles, repelling inva- 
sions, and the repairing of bridges. King Edward II. in the 10th 
of his reign, further granted to the same priory free warren in all 
their demesne lands in this parish. 

During the reign of Edward the Confessor the lordship of Cu- 
linges belonged to Leofwyne, a son of Earl Godwin. Leofwyne was 
killed in the battle of Hastings while fighting for his brother King 
Harold. After the Conquest, Culinges (so written in Domesday) 
became part of the vast possessions of Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, on 
-whose disgrace it reverted to the Crown, and was conferred on 
Henry de Cobham by Edward I., whose son, John de Cobham, 
obtained a charter oifree warren in 1344, the 17th of Edward III. 

The family of Cobhams had a mansion here at the close of the 
thirteenth century. In 1381, Sir John de Cobham obtained license 
of Richard II. ' to fortify and embattle his manor house.' He how- 
ever pulled it down and erected a formidable castellated castle, since 
called Cowling Casth, and placed an inscription deeply graven on 
brass on the eastern tower, over the principal entrance. This in- 
scription is still visible, and reads thus : 

Knoweth that beth and shall be, 
That I am made in help of the Contre, 
In knowing of whiche thing 
This is Chartre and witnessing. 

This curious record, resembling a deed, or charter, bears the 
Cobham arms. There is some obscurity as to the motive for this 
public notification, unless we infer that from the king having strictly 
forbidden the erection of baronial fort j esses, which this really was, 
without royal license, it became policy to give it the semblance of 
a national defence, and thereby preserve, not only the property, but 
perhaps the life of the owner. 

Sir John de Cobham died in 1408 (the 9th of Henry IV.), when 
his granddaughter Joan inherited it. She married Sir John Old- 
castle, who adopted the title of Lord Cobham, and became pos- 
sessed of the castle and estates in right of his wife. He commanded 
the English army in France, and defeated the Duke of Orleans. 
Sir John zealously espoused the doctrines promulgated by Wickliffe, 
and was in consequence cited to appear before Archbishop Arundel, 
in September 1413, when he was condemned ' as a pernicious and 
detestable heretic' He escaped into Wales, where he remained con- 
cealed some years; but in 1417 was apprehended by Lord Powys, 
brought to London, and on the Christmas Day of that year, ' the 
Lord Cobham, with his arms bound, was brought on a hurdle to the 
green meadows of St. Giles', and there hung in chains to the cross- 
beams of a gallows, his body being sustained in a horizontal position ; 



COWLING. 101 

faggots were placed beneath and around him, and in a few minutes all 
that was mortal of the suffering martyr became a heap of coal-black 
dust. 9 

After the execution of Lord Cobham, the Lady Joan, his widow, 
became owner of the manor, with the advowson of the church, and 
resided in Cowling Castle. At her death, in 1434, her only daughter 
Joan inherited the estates, and conveyed them by marriage to Sir 
Thomas Brooke of Somersetshire, afterwards Lord Cobham, in her 
right. His descendant, George Lord Cobham, resided here, and 
nobly defended the castle against the attack of Sir Thomas Wyatt, 
during the rebellion in the reign of Queen Mary, 1554. Sir Thomas 
besieged it with six pieces of cannon, but his attempts were de- 
feated ; for after battering down the gate, and part of the wall, he 
marched with his forces during the night to Gravesend. 

Cowling Castle is described as a fortress of considerable strength, 
the walls, of great thickness, forming a solid square building flanked 
by towers ; a deep moat surrounded the whole, which was supplied 
by the Thames. The principal entrance stood a short distance 
from the fortress, under an arch, with formidable gates and port- 
cullis, between two embattled towers with flights of steps within each. 
The gateway and towers still remain in excellent preservation, on 
one of which is to be seen the brass plate already described. 
Amongst the ruins are the remains of a circular tower, covered with 
ivy, and portions of the walls, affording ample evidence of its 
former strength and grandeur in picturesque ruins that must highly 
interest every lover of antiquity. Within its walls is a handsome 
modern mansion, the residence of John Murton, Esq., who, when 
the members, of the Kent Archaeological Society visited these anti- 
quities in 1860, entertained them with sumptuous liberality. 

Cowling is within the diocese of Rochester. The Church, de- 
dicated to St. James, is an ancient Gothic structure, built of flints 
and stone ; here is a double piscina, with credence above, and a few 
monumental brasses. That to the memory of Feyth, daughter of 
John, Lord Cobham, dated 1508, is in the nave, near the pulpit. 
In the chancel are brasses for Sybel, wife of Nathaniel Sparks, 
rector— she died in 1639 ; and near to it that of Thomas Woodyear, 
who died in 1611. Shortly after the Conquest, Cowling Church 
became tributary to the Priory of Rochester. In the reign of King 
John, the year 1200, Adam Pincerna, or Butler, was patron of the 
living, which passed into the family of the Cobhams in 1280. The 
living is a rectory, now in the gift of J. Alliston, Esq., valued at 
£600 per annum. 

Our ride homeward is really beautiful — the air so mild, and the 
evening so bright and clear — to close a lovely day, as well as our 
vacation, for we return to London on the morrow. We near 
Gravesend with the long shadows of evening ; the sun is setting 
in fiery glory before us, and the lady moon just rising in silvery 



102 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

softness as we alight. Refreshed by a dainty dish of ' natives * from 
old Dame Turrell's, we resolve on a walk through the town, and a 
parting word with some of the kindly townspeople, who always treat 
us with respect. That centenarian, old Master Sutherland, is just 
turning into Bath Street ; we greet him, and in an infantile voice 
he tells us that he has * been for a walk, is very deaf, and 120 years 
old.' Poor old man, you are very feeble ; your walk has been 
the length of some dozen houses, occupying as many minutes ; 
your years on the verge of, but not beyond, a hundred. He totters 
on in his blue-striped frock, palsied and curved, leaning on his 
well-used stick, only to survive a few months, for he died the No- 
vember following. 

We call at Windmill Street for a parting shake with Mr. Hall, 
who has so kindly ventilated our Kentish sketches in his excellent 
journal ; and feeling interested in the proposed ' Steam Packet Com- 
pany,' repair to the High Street, and are told by Mr. Crowhurst, 
one of the committee (who by the way is our snuff purveyor when 
here), that there is good hope of the scheme being carried out ; but 
at the close of the present season (1864) no tangible progress had 
been made towards a desideratum long felt by visitors. To tell of 
the many we met, and of the kind words spoken during this our 
farewell gossip, would become tedious ; but one thing we must say, 
that through our lengthy experience we have not yet found the 
inhabitants of the borough of Gravesend deserving the appellation 
cast upon them, of being an ' off-hand people.' 

Our remaining 'Jottings' will emanate from our own fireside, 
and include a few more of the many notable localities in this 
ancient county, so full of interest to lovers of history. 



AYLESFOED. 

Southward from Burham, and about thirty-two miles from 
London, is the parish of Aylesford, called by the Saxons Episford, 
and in Domesday Elesford; it contains 4,391 acres of land, 333 
houses, and 2,057 inhabitants. The river Medway flows through it 
on the north-west, which, from the tide being weak, is a stream of 
fresh water ; it is spanned by a handsome bridge of six arches. 

Aylesford town clusters on the northern bank of the river, the 
back ground rising suddenly high, and upon it stands the venerable 
church, higher than the roofs of the houses. In 1240, a Carmelite 
Friary was founded here, or which a large portion remains. The 
Friary was abolished by Henry VIII., and the land and appurten- 
ances conferred on Sir Thomas Wyatt, of Allington, which again 
lapsed to the Crown on the execution of his son for rebellion. 



AYLESFORD. 103 

John Sedley, of Southfleet, possessed the Friars in the reign of 
Queen Elizabeth, and bequeathed them to his brother, Sir William. 
Sedley, where he resided ; his grandson, Sir Charles, the wit and 
poet, was born here in 1639. Sir John Banks resided here between 
1660-70, and made extensive alterations, incorporating, with good 
taste, much of the ancient building in the present mansion. 
Crossing from the town by the noble stone bridge, the land rises in 
picturesque beauty towards the Elizabethan seat known as ' Preston 
Hall ;' the grounds, which are laid out with considerable taste, are 
well clothed by stately elms and varied plantations. The mansion 
contains a fine collection of paintings by the great masters, both 
ancient and modern, as well as some good statuary ; it is built on 
the site of the former house, the seat of the Colepepers, who 
possessed the manor at an early period. 

Aylesford is memorable in ancient history for the great battle 
fought here between the Britons and Saxons, in 455, when 
Vortimer, the British king, encountered the Saxons on the banks 
of the Darent, and pursued them to Aylesford, where a most 
sanguinary battle was fought on the eastern side of the Med way, in 
which Horsa, brother of the Saxon General Hengist, and Catigern, 
brother of King Vortimer, were both killed. Here again, in 1016, 
Edmund Ironsides, after his victory over the Danes at Otford, 
pursued them with fearful slaughter, and, but for the treachery of 
Edric, would in all probability have wholly destroyed the Danish 
army. 

The manor of Aylesford, anciently of the demesnes of the king, 
was subsequently divided, and held under the tenure of 'ancient 
demesne, 9 a royal franchise, whereby the tenants were only bound 
to plough the king's lands, or to provide the court with certain 
provisions ; these immunities were afterwards changed into rents, 
and gave exemption from toll, with the right of a court to adjudi- 
cate on their own property, and release from expenses of knights 
of the shire, and from serving on juries. 

Kits Coty House, one of those remarkable monuments, or crom- 
lechs, frequently found in this country, as well as in Sweden, 
Norway, and Denmark, stands on a hill north of the town of 
Aylesford. Tradition asserts that it covers the grave of Catigern, 
brother of King Vortimer, who was slain in 455 ; but opinions are 
various on this point. It is composed of four stones, three of which 
stand upright, forming three sides of a square, and the fourth, 
eleven feet by eight, weighing nearly eleven tons, laid transversely 
over. About seventy yards distant was formerly another single 
stone which stood upright, similar to those of Kits Coty House, 
since broken and taken away. Towards the south-east, at the 
distance of a quarter of a mile, was another cromlech of eight or 
ten stones, now thrown down, lying in a confused heap. In the 
bottom contiguous to Aylesford is a number of the same kind of 



104 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

stones, some upright with a larger one transversely on the top, 
once corresponding with that of Kits Coty, and, like it, facing the 
east ; other stones are scattered in a circle around. Still nearer to 
Aylesford is a remarkable stone, two feet in thickness, fourteen 
in length, and six in breadth, which, from its peculiar shape, Dr. 
Stukely has called the coffin. 

The investigation of the real purpose of cromlechs, literally stone 
tables, has for many ages been an important subject of research 
with antiquarians. Learnedly, they are ascribed to the Druids, 
and considered to have been altars, upon which they kept 
the sacred fire constantly burning. In the woods behind Newydd, 
near the Menai Straits, are two vast cromlechs ; the upper stone of 
one is nearly thirteen feet, by twelve broad, four feet thick, and 
thirty tons in weight, supported by five upright stones. The 
number of supporters to cromlechs is merely accidental, and 
depends on the size or form of the transverse stone. Cromlech, 
according to Rowland, is derived from the Hebrew * Caremluach,' 
signifying a * devoted or consecrated stone. 3 

That the Druids, or priests of the ancient Celtse, Britons, and 
Germans, were the most distinguished scholars amongst the Britons 
and Gauls cannot be questioned ; they were mostly of high birth, 
wore their hair short and beards long, and when employed in 
religious ceremonies had white surplices, and chains of gold about 
their necks. They worshipped the Deity under the symbol of the 
oak, wore chaplets of oak, and considered the mistletoe as the gift of 
Heaven, possessing a divine virtue ; their temples were woods or groves, 
fenced round with stones ; in the centre of the consecrated groves 
were altars made of stones of a prodigious, size, upon which sacrifices 
were offered. Cromlechs are pretty generally considered altars used by 
the Druids ; they have also been found in the Neilgherries in the 
East Indies, which has excited considerable desire to trace the 
origin of the natives of this part of India, called the Thautawars. 
Some suppose them derived from an Arab stock ; others, from the 
Romans ; and a third, that they were a portion of the lost Hebrew 
tribes. 

Although impossible to determine the origin of this people, yet 
we have the startling fact before us that many cromlechs have 
been found in the Neilgherry hills, erected in most remote ages, — yes, 
many centuries before the Western World had discovered that vast 
Empire; and that these stone altars consist principally of three 
upright slabs planted firmly in the ground, supporting a fourth 
poised horizontally on the top. Of twelve still standing at Achenny, 
on the Neilgherries, one is an exact representation of Kits Coty 
House. Distinct of these cromlechs, many upright stones exist in 
these hills and other parts of India, corresponding with the obelisk 
or . • spiral stone' of the religions of early times, -when upright 
stones were consecrated, the perversion of a custom recorded in 



AYLESFORD. 105 

Genesis, chap, xxviii. v. 18 — ' And Jacob rose up early in the 
morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillow, and set it 
up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. 1 Ver. 22 — ''And 
this stone which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's House. 9 
Whether, therefore, Kits Coty House covers the grave of Catigern, 
or are the remains of a Druidical altar, we must leave, after thus 
briefly enunciating the opinions of astute antiquaries : one thing is 
certain, that they are of very remote antiquity, and wherever found 
give sparkling interest to the locality. 

Aylesford Church is a venerable old Gothic structure, dedicated 
to St. Peter, with a noble square tower ; it must in part date from 
the eleventh century, from the Norman architecture abounding. 
Here are some good brasses and monuments ; the earliest, a brass 
to John Cosynton, who died 1426 ; monuments to the Colepepers, 
the Sedleys, and Ricauts, including that of Sir Paul Ricaut, the 
distinguished traveller, who died in 1700: the most stately monu- 
ment in marble, with recumbent figures, is that of Sir John Banks, 
who died in 1699. The living is a vicarage, valued at £531 per 
annum : the Rev. Anthony Grant is the present incumbent. 



OTFORD. 

Otford, in the hundred of Codsheath, claims honour over the 
whole of this hundred, and formed part of the earliest possessions of 
the see of Canterbury. It coders 2,852 acres, and contains 177 houses, 
with 804 inhabitants. This parish, which takes its name from the 
Saxon word Ottanford, is for the most part low and damp ; here is 
much meadow land watered by rivulets and springs, which 
although rendering it moist, and at times marshy, is considered 
fertile. The chalk ranges rise on the east and west, and the river 
Darent runs northward, near which is the village, traversed by the 
old road from Dartford to Sevenoaks. The liberty of the duchy of 
Lancaster claims over part of this parish, in which is held an annual 
fair on the 24th of August. 

Otford will be ever memorable from two sanguinary battles 
fought here ; the first, in 773, by Offa, King of Mercia, and Aldric, 
King of Kent. The slaughter was fearful on both sides, but 
Offa gained the victory. The other battle was fought in 1016, by 
Edmund, surnamed Ironside, who marched upon Canute, the 
Danish King, whom he encountered here, and signally defeated, 
and, but for treachery, would have wholly annihilated the Danes. 
The remains of the slain in these battles are continually being dug 
up in the neighbouring fields. In 1767, many human skeletons 
were found in the chalk banks on either side. 



106 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

Otford was given to the Church of Canterbury by Offa, King of 
Mercia, in 791, but Werhard, a powerful priest, became possessed 
of it shortly afterwards. Archbishop Wifrid, however, caused it 
to be restored to the church in 830, part of the possessions of which 
it remained down to Henry VIII., being styled ' the honour of 
Otford: 

In remote times, the Archbishops of Canterbury had a palace at 
Otford, in which they generally resided, and from whence they 
issued frequent mandates signed from their * Manor house at 
Otford: This palace was commodious and retired, having two 
large parks and extensive woods. Archbishop Becket lived here, 
and many tales are handed down of the miracles he wrought at 
Otford ; amongst them is one to this effect — the Archbishop 
desiring a spring of water for the use of the palace, struck his staff 
into the ground, when water immediately burst forth in great 
abundance. It is still called St. Thomas's well. King Edward I. 
was sumptuously entertained here by Archbishop Winchelsea, in 
the year 1300. Archbishop Deane re-built some portions, early in 
the sixteenth century ; but his successor, Archbishop War- 
ham, is said to have rebuilt the whole, with the exception 
of the hall and the chapel; and here he also entertained Henry VIII, 
This stately palace was afterwards in the possession of Henry 
VIII., who enlarged the two parks. Queen Elizabeth, however, 
made grants of different parts of the estate : to Sir Henry Sidney 
she granted ' the little Park at Otford ; ' and in the 34th year of 
her reign she conferred on his son, Sir Robert Sidney, ' the site of 
the honour of Otford, the archbishop's house, commonly called the Castle, 
and the great Park, containing 700 acres lying in Otford, Se d, and 
Kemsing: The present ruins formed part of the outer court, pro- 
bably the cloisters, with the remains of a tower. At the close of 
the last century two towers were standing. This princely archie- 
piscopal palace must have been of large extent, as the foundations 
alone may be traced over nearly an acre of land. 

Otford Church, dedicated to St. Bartholomew, stands at the east 
end of the village, near to the ruins of the palace. St. Bartholomew 
was a highly- reputed personage for the supposed gift of curing bar- 
renness ; his image and a shrine were formerly in this church, to 
which numberless married ladies resorted to seek his anti-Malthu- 
sian aid. The church, which consists of a nave, aisles, chancel, 
and spire, was rebuilt on the old foundations in the seventeenth 
century. It has just undergone internal restoration by Mr. G. E. Street, 
the architect, if we mistake not, who so successfully restored Stone 
Church. The unsightly wooden pillars, which have been swept away, 
give place to an arcade of four bays, divided by stone columns ; an 
arch has been thrown over the nave at the first pillar, and the tower 
arch opened ; the gallery has been taken down, and ugly pews 



OTFORD. 107 

superseded by open seats ; the roof is new, and the chancel neatly- 
paved with Mintons' tiles. The choir of this church, a band of 
tolerable choristers, have the advantage of the incumbent's kindly 
sympathies, as well as occasional liberal entertainments at the par- 
sonage. Amongst the monuments is a mural tomb of fine sculpture 
for David Polhill, son of Thomas Polhill, of Otford, whose grand- 
mother was Bridget, daughter of Oliver Cromwell, Lord Pro- 
tector. Another in the south aisle for Charles Polhill, who died in 
1755, is very fine ; it represents the statue of a man, life size, leaning 
on an urn, with a female profile above, and figures in statuary 
marble of beautiful proportions. There are also other tombs and 
monuments for the families of Polhill, Bostock, and Brasier, and 
in the east window the arms of Lennard, emblazoned in stained 
glass. 

The living of Otford is a perpetual curacy in the gift of the Dean 
and Chapter of Westminster, valued at £179 per annum. The incum- 
bent is the Rev. R. B. Tritton, who was presented to the living in 
1845. Two miles eastward from Otford is the parish of — 



KEMSING, 

Pleasantly situated on the slopes of the chalk ranges, with com- 
manding scenery over the Weald of Kent. It is supposed to have 
taken its name from some royal camp or fortress anciently situated 
here. This parish consists of 1,867 acres, with 80 houses and 366 
inhabitants ; the soil to the south is very fertile, but on the north 
mostly chalk. 

The lordship was remotely the property of a family which de- 
rived its surname from this parish, being called Kempsing ; subse- 
quently it was in the possession of Lord Saye and Seale. Early in 
the reign of Edward IY. William Lord Saye sold Kemsing to Sir 
Geoffry Bulleyn, grandfather of the Earl of Wiltshire, who was 
father of the ill-fated Anne Boleyn, after whose death Henry VIII. 
claimed the manor in right of his late wife, and ultimately bestowed 
it, with other estates, on his divorced queen Lady Anne of Cleves. 

Just above the village, along the ridge of chalk hills, runs the 
old ' Pilgrims' Road J near which is St. Edith's Well. This person- 
age, said to have been born in the parish, bore high repute for the 
gift of working miracles, and for preserving grain from mildew. 
After her death a statue was erected in the churchyard, that was 
held in great reverence, and to which numbers flocked. 

The church, dedicated also to St. Edith, stands north of the 
village. This is a small structure of early English architecture, 
without aisles, containing few monuments. In the chancel is a 



108 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

gravestone with a brass, and an inscription in black letter, dated early 
in the fourteenth century, to the memory of Thomas de Hop, and a 
mural monument for Michael Jermin, D.D., obiit 1659. The living, 
valued at £396 per annum, is in the gift of the Amherst family. The 
vicar, the Rev. T. O. Blackall, succeeded to the appointment in 
1846. 



HEVER. 

Our previous chapter glanced at Anne Boleyn, and the estrange- 
ment of the manor of Kemsing from her family by Henry VIII. 
We may therefore fairly follow with Hever, the once happy home of 
that unfortunate queen, whose cruel fate darkens the pages of 
history. 

Hever, anciently Heure and Evere, lies below the sand hills in the 
Weald, where the oak is most abundant and attains a very large size. 
The river Eden crosses the parish towards Penshurst, and the 
Medway flows near the walls of Hever Castle, south of which are the 
village and the parsonage. This parish extends over 2,608 acres, 
and has 121 houses and 626 inhabitants. 

Hever was originally the seat and manor of a family of that name. 
William de Hevre was sheriff of the county in 1274, when he ob- 
tained a grant from Edward I. of free warren over his lands in Hevre, 
Chidingstone, and Lingefield, and in the reign of Edward III. re- 
built the mansion and embattled it. On his death the estates were 
divided betwixt his daughters Joan and Margaret. Joan married 
Reginald Cobham, from which her moiety was distinguished as 
* Hever Cobham.' Margaret married Sir Oliver Brocas, when her 
share was called * Hever Brocas.' 

The ' Hever Brocas ' estate was alienated to Reginald Lord Cob- 
hom of Sterborough in the reign of Henry IV., who died possessed 
of both manors in 1373. Sir Thomas Cobham, his grandson, sold 
these manors to Sir Geoffry Bulleyn, a mercer of London, who was 
Lord Mayor in 1459 ; he died in 1464, when his son, Sir William 
Bulleyn, inherited the estates. Sir William married Margaret, the 
daughter of the Earl of Ormond, and had issue a son and heir, 
Thomas, who was signally distinguished by Henry VIII., for in 
]526 the king created him Viscount Rochford, and in 1531 Earl of 
Wiltshire and Ormond, besides which he was elected a Knight of the 
Garter. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Howard, Duke 
of Norfolk, and by that alliance had a son, George, and two daughters 
— Anne, the unfortunate wife of Henry VIII., and Mary, the wife of 
William Carey, from whom descended the Earls of Dover and Mon- 
mouth. This earl added greatly to the mansion, afterwards called 
Hever Castle, which was built of stone, and protected by a moat 



HEVER. 109 

well supplied from the river. The front was strongly fortified ; two 
towers, loopholed, supported the boldly machicolated gateway; 
massive gates and portcullis were arranged within, and above, fur- 
naces for melting lead and pitch, to welcome enemies who dared 
enter its portals. Such was Hever Castle during the life of the 
Earl of Wiltshire and Ormond. He died in the 30th year of 
the reign of Henry VIII., upon which the king seized the castle 
and manor in right of his late wife, after having already caused the 
execution of George, the son and heir. Two years afterwards 
Henry VIII. granted Hever Castle and Manor, with those of Seal 
and Kemsing, to his fourth, but repudiated wife, the Lady Anne 
of Cleves, who held them until her death in 1556, the fourth year 
of Philip and Mary, when they were sold under royal commis- 
sion. 

Hever Castle is entire, and the interior in tolerable preservation. 
It is in part a farmhouse, but still the Hever Castle of three centu- 
ries since, with the same oak panelling within and the same quad- 
rangular courtyard and lofty gatehouse, even to the quaint gables 
and lofty roofs without. We fall back in a reverie, and contemplate 
the heyday of England's Queen Anne, the mother of our Protestant 
Queen Elizabeth, when shown a room, not luxuriantly furnished, 
and are told that this was Anne Boleyn's bedroom, even to the bed 
on which she slept, with the same curtains, tables, chairs, and carved 
oaken chest. 

The great hall has the large oak table of olden times ; the noble 
staircase leads to a series of chambers, and the long reverberating 
gallery, wainscotted with dark oak, and ceilings of stucco richly 
ornamented. On one side of the gallery is a recess approached by 
two steps, in which you are told Henry VIII. held councils when 
a visitor at the castle. Next to a window here you are shown a 
trap door in the floor, leading to dismal dungeons in the deep dark- 
ness below. There is a tradition averring that the king cast his 
queen, Anne Boleyn, into this dungeon to be starved to death, where 
she remained some days, until her gaoler removed the body for 
burial, when, to his .dismay, the queen revived, and she was sent 
back to London. This, however, does not accord with the version 
given generally, which points out a chamber in one of the towers 
as that in which she was confined, now entered by a small door, 
then through a secret sliding panel, still called ' Anne Boleyn's 
paneU 

Here is the boudoir of the then happy Anne, and the bay window 
from which she was wont to watch for her royal lover. How many 
the boundings of that innocent heart when bugles from yon hills 
told of the king's approach ; the hopes and joys that beat within 
her breast as she welcomed him to their favourite seat, when all was 
sunshine, pointing to a brilliant future ! Her brightest dreams were 
realised when she became Queen of England in 1532; but, alas! 



110 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

the tragic episode, that ended all her hopes on a scaffold, within four 
brief years. 

Hever is within the diocese of Rochester, and a peculiar of the 
Archbishop of Canterbury. The village was anciently the property 
of Sir Stephen de Penchester, whose possessions were most extensive 
here and at Penshurst. The church, dedicated to St. Peter, stands at 
the east end of the village. It is an old structure, with a nave, two 
chancels, and a handsome spire. The architecture is, for the most 
part, in the Decorated style ; the Boleyn Chantry, however, is of the 
Perpendicular order. In the chancel is the stately altar-tomb, in 
marble, with a large figure in brass, of Sir Thomas Bulleyn, father of 
Anne Boleyn : he died in 1538. A gravestone in the nave, bearing a 
female figure in brass with an inscription in black letter, is to the 
memory of Margaret Cheyne, obiit 1419. A brass plate, with a 
figure and inscription, records the death of William Todde in 1585. 
In the belfrey is a stone bearing a brass plate for John de Cobham, 
obiit 1399, and an ancient tomb for another of the Cobhams of 
Sterborough Castle, with a shield of arms graven on a brass plate. 
The living of Hever is a rectory, with glebe house, in the gift of 
E. W. M. Waldo, Esq., valued at £372 per annum. The rector is 
the Rev. W. Wilberforce Battye, who succeeded to the incumbency 
in 1850. 



TUNBRIDGE. 

Tunbridge, in Saxon Tunbryege (town of bridges), and in 
Domesday written Tonebrega, is supposed to take its name from the 
bridges spanning the five streams of the Medway running through 
the town, of which that alone to the north is navigable. Near to 
the principal bridge, built in 1775, is a reputed manufactory for 
Tunbridge ware, founded upwards of a century. This large parish 
of 15,235 acres, 4,143 houses, and 21,004 inhabitants, presents con- 
siderable variety of soil : some portions are low, and subject to 
inundation. The oak flourishes, and attains a large size. The grass 
lands are esteemed for fattening cattle : other parts produce excellent 
corn and hops ; but to the south-west the soil becomes sandy. 

The town, which is about thirty miles from London by the old 
coach road, stands nearly in the centre of the parish. The streets, 
built upon the hill, consist of a main street, of about three-fourths 
of a mile in length, lying on the old road -, it is rather old-fashioned, 
especially its timber-panelled houses, which are curious. From the 
main street branch several others, as well as terraces, villas, squares, 
and pretty modern buildings. An elegant stone church, in the De- 
corated style of architecture, dedicated to St. Stephen, has recently 
been erected on the slope. 



TUNBRIDGE. Ill 

For upwards of three hundred years Tunbridge has held high 
repute for its Free Grammar School, founded by Sir Andrew Judd, 
Alderman of London, a native of Tunbridge. He erected a school- 
house, with other buildings, purchased lands, and by letters patent 
of Edward VI. founded this noble institution in 1554, as ' The Free 
Grammar School of Sir Andrew Judde, in the town of Tunbridge,' 
which he left in trust to the Skinners' Company, who annually ex- 
amine the scholars, exceeding one hundred and seventy, of whom 
forty are on the foundation. The revenues, through the careful 
husbanding of the trustees, exceed £5,000 per annum, and at the 
expiration of certain leases this institution will rank amongst our 
richest foundations. The Principal, the Kev. J. T. Welldon, has a 
handsome salary, with residence and privilege of boarders. 

Sixteen annual exhibitions of £100, for either Oxford or Cam- 
bridge, emanate from this foundation, distinct of two others of 
£75 exclusively for Jesus College, Cambridge, a scholarship of £20 
at Brasenose, a fellowship at St. John's, Oxford, and ten other exhi- 
bitions of less value. Boys resident within a radius of ten miles of 
Tunbridge are eligible for the charity; others are admissible by 
payment of a small fee. A neat chapel was erected in 1859 from 
funds contributed by the scholars and friends of the school. 

The Skinners' Company hold their annual examination in May, 
when the head boy delivers a congratulatory oration in Latin at the 
gates of the school. After the distribution of bread, money, and 
clothes to poor persons, according to the will of Thomas Smith, 
another benefactor, the trustees repair to the school, and proceed 
with a rigid examination, after which each of the six senior boys is 
presented with a silver pen, gilt. Tunbridge School has always 
maintained high reputation for the proficiency of its students and 
the eminence of the masters, and it stands the principal architectural 
object of the town. A new school is now, however, in course of 
erection behind, and the original building is to be largely remodelled. 
The South- Eastern Railway has a principal station here, which oc- 
cupies the site of the Priory, the ruins being removed for the forma- 
tion of the line in 1840. 

The Priory of Tunbridge was founded in the reign of Henry II. 
by the Earl of Hertford, Lord of Tunbridge, who, beyond the en- 
dowment, gave yearly, * 120 hogs in his Forest of Tonebregge, free 
from, pannage ; and that the Canons should have two horses every day 
to carry the dead wood home to them ; and one stag yearly to be taken 
by the Earl's men.' In 1351, the Priory was destroyed by fire, but 
speedily rebuilt. Henry VIIL, in his 17th year, gave it to Car- 
dinal Wolsey, with other suppressed monasteries, for the endowment 
of colleges, but on the Cardinal's disgrace it again reverted to the 
Crown. The buildings of this Priory were very extensive, judging 
from the outlines of the foundations, which could be clearly traced 
early in the present century. The great hall and the chapel, used 



112 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

as a barn, were only taken down to give place to the railway. In 
the grounds was a well, walled round, dedicated to St. Margaret, 
formerly much resorted to. 

Tunbridge Castle is a fine relic of bold Norman architecture, the 
ruins of which form a conspicuous and interesting object from 
distant points ; the inner gateway, flanked by two massive towers 
of great strength, still remains, as well as portions of the walls, said 
to have enclosed six acres of ground. Formerly three moats en- 
circled the castle ; the innermost of these was supplied from a stream, 
now the principal current of the Med way. Over it was a bridge of 
stone, united by a broad wall to the south-east tower. The other 
moats enclosed the town of Tunbridge, then little more than the 
suburbs belonging to the castle. This fortress is full of historical 
interest. Richard de Fitz- Gilbert possessed it shortly after the 
Conquest. He was one of the nobles who came over with William 
the Conqueror, and fought in the battle of Hastings ; he afterwards 
obtained the town and castle of Tunbridge from the Archbishop of 
Canterbury, where he resided, and was from thence called Richard 
de Tunbridge. William Rufus besieged the castle, when Richard 
surrendered, and swore allegiance to that prince. His descendant 
Richard, son of Gilbert de Tunbridge, assumed the title of Clare, 
from a lordship he held in Sussex, and became possessed of the 
castle; he was afterwards created Earl of Hertford and Lord of 
Tunbridge, and founded the Priory. His brother Roger, Earl of 
Clare, who succeeded him, was summoned by Archbishop Becket 
to appear at Westminster, to do him homage, which he refused, on 
the authority of the king (Henry II.). He died in the 19th year 
of that reign, leaving a son, Richard, who succeeded to his title and 
estates. Richard was one of the barons who bore arms against 
King John, when he was assailed by the king's forces, and Tun- 
bridge Castle taken by storm. It was again besieged by Prince 
Edward in the reign of Henry III., when the garrison burnt the 
town. Edward II. held it during his reign, but it afterwards became 
the property of the Audleys and Staff ords, until the execution of 
Edward Stafford, in 1521. Queen Elizabeth gave the castle to Lord 
Hunsdon, from whom it passed through many hands, although still 
belonging to a representative of the noble house of Stafford. It is 
now used as a military school, and has a range of modern buildings 
in a line with one of the towers. 

Tunbridge is surrounded with picturesque scenery, good seats, 
and the residences of independent families. It possesses a town hall, 
joint-stock bank, savings bank, literary and mechanics' institutions, 
well-stocked shops, and good inns. 

The old church, dedicated to the Apostles SS. Peter and Paul, is 
an ancient Gothic pile, of goodly proportions, with a square tower. 
The monuments are principally for the inhabitants of the parish, 



TUNBRIDGE. 113 

and owners of estates in the vicinity ; that with mutilated figures 
for Sir Anthony Denton and his wife, who died early in the seven- 
eenth century, is interesting, as also a handsome tomb of white 
marble. At the south-east corner is a sculptured urn, in memory 
of Ann Elliot, a celebrated actress, a native of Tunbridge; she 
died in 1796, at the early age of 26 years, and was buried in a 
vault beneath it. On the north side of the tomb is graven the 
following elegy: — 

O matchless form adorned with wit refined, 
A feeling heart and an enlighten'd mind ; 
Of softest manners, beauty's rarest bloom, 
Here Elliot lies, and moulders in her tomb. 
O blest with genius ! early snatched away ; 
The muse that joyful marked thy op'ning ray, 
Now, sad reverse ! attends thy mournful bier, 
And o'er thy relics sheds the gushing tear. 
Here fancy oft the hallowed mould shall tread, 
Recall thee living, and lament, thee dead : 
Here friendship oft shall sigh 'til life be o'er, 
And death shall bid thy image charm no more. 

Tunbridge is in the diocese of Canterbury. The living is a 
vicarage, with residence, valued at £763 per annum. The Rev. Sir 
Charles Hardinge, brother of Viscount Hardinge, held the living 
from 1809 to 1864, a period of fifty-five years, which, from the in- 
firmities of old age, he resigned, only to survive a few weeks. 



SEVENOAKS. 

Sevenoaks, twenty-four miles from London, and six from Tun- 
bridge, is called in the Textus Roffensis Sequenacca, from seven 
large oaks growing on the summit of the hill, whereon is now built 
the town, with its market, in the line of the old road to Tunbridge. 
This parish embraces 6,000 statute acres, 1,023 houses, and 4,695 
inhabitants, and extends above as well as below the great ridge of 
sand hills dividing the upland from the Weald. The soil varies; 
towards the hill, and about the town, it is sandy ; below the hill a 
stiff clay, but towards Riverhead it is rich and fertile. The parish 
is divided into three districts, the town borough, Riverhead, and 
the Weald,— Riverhead taking the name from its proximity to a 
source of the Darent. 

The town of Sevenoaks stands high, with well-built houses and 
good inns : it has a market on Saturdays, and a fair in October. 
Formerly this was a post town of considerable importance and profit 
to the inhabitants, now absorbed by the railway, much to their dis- 
comfiture ; still trade flourishes. The many shops are well stocked 
with the best description of goods, which secures the patronage of 

I 



114 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

numbers of the gentry and wealthy, whose seats and villas are scat- 
tered around. Nearly opposite to the White Hart Inn are seven 
trees, commemorative of those from which the town derived its 
name. Here was a pond, now covered over, formerly in consi- 
derable requisition for ducking vixens. The cruel instrument 
employed was called a ducking stool, & sort of chair fixed at the 
extremity of a long pole, centred on an upright, in which scolding 
wives were placed, and subjected to immersions according to their 
oral powers — a barbarism long since exploded. 

Sevenoaks has its grammar school, founded and endowed by Sir 
William Sevenoaks, under his will dated 1432 ; he also founded 
almshouses for decayed tradespeople, which were rebuilt in 1737. 
Sir William was a foundling, said to have been discovered in the 
hollow of an oak by a wealthy inhabitant, who named him after the 
town, and carefully educated him. This unknown individual rose 
to station in the City of London, where he was Lord Mayor in the 
reign of Henry VI. Dr. John Potkyn was a considerable benefactor 
to this school during Henry VIII., which in the reign of Elizabeth 
was incorporated as — The wardens and assistants of the town and 
parish of Sevenoak, and of Queen Elizabeth's free school there. This 
institution has six exhibitions, without restriction as to college or 
university, four of which are of £15 per annum. 

The manor of Sevenoaks was an appendage to that of Otford, 
and part of the possessions of the See of Canterbury until the 9th 
of Henry VIII. It was granted to John Dudley, Earl of Warwick, 
in the 4th year of Edward VL, upon whose execution for high 
treason it passed into the hands of Queen Mary, who conferred the 
manors of Sevenoaks and Knowle upon Reginald Pole, Cardinal 
Archbishop of Canterbury, who expired in 1558, on the same day 
as Queen Mary. Bradborne, another manor here, was the property 
of Sir Thomas Grandison in the reign of Edward III. Sir Ralph 
Bosville, clerk of the Queen's Court of Wards, possessed it in the 
reign of Elizabeth ; his descendant, William Bosville, rebuilt the 
mansion in 1761. 

Amongst the many goodly estates in this parish we have only 
space for that called Rumpshot, written in old deeds Rumpsted, 
the surname of an ancient family who possessed it for many 
generations. Sir William de Rumpstead was an eminent man in 
the reign of Edward III., and, according to tradition, was the 
foster-father of William de Sevenoak, whom he found in the hollow 
body of a tree, as already narrated. 

The manor of Knowle was the property of Baldwin de Betum, 
Earl of Albemarle, in the reign of King John; it descended, by 
marriage, to the family of Mareschal's Earls of Pembroke, and was 
afterwards sold to James Fienes, or Fenys, Lord Save and Seal, in 
the reign of Henry VI. This eminent statesman was a great 
favourite of the king, who created him a baron, which excited the 



SEVENOAKS. 115 

jealousy of the House of Commons ; they arraigned him, and then 
hurried him to the Standard in Cheapside, where he was beheaded. 
His son, Sir William, conveyed the manor of Knowle to Thomas 
Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury, in the 34th year of Henry VI. 
This archbishop rebuilt the manor house, and died here in 1486. 
Archbishop Morton resided here, and entertained Henry VIII. 
Queen Elizabeth granted the manor and mansion to Sir Robert 
Dudley, Earl of Leicester. In 1603 they were assigned to Thomas 
Sackville, Earl of Dorset, who resided here, and considerably 
improved the mansion. It was more or less the residence of 
the Earls of Dorset down to 1829, when it became the property 
of the Countess of Plymouth, who subsequently married Earl 
Amherst. 

Knowle Park centres in one of the most superb landscapes 
England's garden — Kent — can bestow ; enormous oaks, venerable 
elms, and stately beech trees spread over its vast area of 1,600 
acres ; here is the old oak, thirty feet in circumference — there a 
beech tree twenty-eight. To appreciate this nucleus of loveliness, 
look from the terrace into the park below and wonder at the 
gorgeous picture — look beyond, at hamlets and villages, and spires 
of quaint old churches, peering over intervening trees ; woodlands 
and broad meadows ; orchards and rich fields of grain, the pride of 
the husbandman and the joy of his satellites, those happy sons of 
toil, whose homes tell of cleanliness and contentment, whose 
wives, unknown to luxury, heartily welcome to their own fireside 
the men whose highest ambition is to gain their daily bread by 
honest labour. We look on yon distant mouldering castles and 
halls of fame, where once pomp and splendour, state and dazzling 
equipage, were the things of every-day life, passing through ages 
from sire to son ; a long line of dead-alive, until the living ended, 
and nought survives save — storied urn or animated bust; — tales of 
the past, that either bloom in sweet remembrance, as fruits of 
Christian virtues, or memories of ambition unknown in rustic life ; 
where rosy cherubs watch at cottage-doors for father — he who with 
proud delight kisses each brow, and seeks no higher fame. 

Quitting the terrace, we plunge into the endless beauties and 
fragrance of all that nature can give to charm the senses and 
elevate the mind ; but we must not linger here, for on yon knoll 
stands the mansion, covering an area exceeding three acres, quad- 
rangular in form, and castellated. Grim square towers and 
embattled gateways of different periods arrest attention as we near 
one of them, supported by bold towers, leading to the first quadrangle. 
Passing under another gateway of much earlier date, we enter an 
inner quadrangle, which communicates with the attractive portions 
of the building, and to which visitors are admitted — thanks to the 
courtesy of Earl Amherst, the noble proprietor. 

First is the Great Hall, built by Thomas, first Earl of Dorset ; 

12 



116 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

in the illuminated windows are emblazoned armorial bearings, 
including those of Queen Elizabeth. This hall, seventy-five feet 
long, contains some meritorious specimens of sculpture ; that of 
Demosthenes especially, which cost £700 ; some good paintings, and 
the fire-dogs of Henry VIII. and his queen, Anne Boleyn, brought 
from Hever Castle. 

The Brown Gallery measures eighty- eight feet in length, and is 
of oak, even to the floor ; rich stained glass fills the windows, whilst the 
walls are covered with portraits of illustrious personages ; — here is 
Henry VIII., Elizabeth, Cromwell, Luther, Wickliffe, Melancthon, 
Huss, Milton, Dryden, and an array of Reformers. The various 
articles of furniture, draped and cushioned with velvet and satin, are 
very interesting as relics of antiquity. On the right of the Brown 
Gallery is a bed-chamber and dressing-room, containing tapestry 
and excellent paintings, antique furniture, and a very ancient bed- 
stead of oak. 

The Spangled Bedroom is on the left of the gallery. The 
floor is of oak, and the furniture of Elizabethan date ; here is some 
tapestry ; the fire-dogs are of silver. The dressing-room contains 
some excellent paintings by the great masters ; other rare paintings 
are to be seen in the Billiard Room and Leicester Gallery. 

The Venetian Bedroom and dressing-room, so called as having 
been that of Nicolo Molino, the Venetian ambassador, while re- 
sident here, is again rich in paintings of the great schools. 

The King's Bedroom, prepared at a cost of £20,000 for James I., 
who did not, as was expected, honour Knowle with a visit, is 
most gorgeous. Here is the identical state-bed, with draperies of 
velvet and satin, embroidered in gold and silver, and the original 
costly furniture, relieved by a profusion of silver . vases, urns, 
baskets, and other articles of vertu. The walls are draped with 
rich tapestry illustrating the life of King Nebuchadnezzar. 

We glance at the Ball-room, with its magnificent marble 
ehimneypiece and the fine collection of family portraits ; the 
Crimson Drawing-room, and costly paintings ; the Dining- 
room, adorned with portraits of distinguished literary and scientific 
men ; the same room where Charles, sixth Earl of Dorset, was 
wont to entertain the celebrated literati of his day j where Addison, 
Locke, Garrick, Sedley, and a host of kindred spirits, would cluster 
round his board, and with merry hearts and jocund smile drink to 
the noble house of Dorset. In the Organ-room are the remains of 
a very ancient organ, said to have been the second built in 
England. Next to this room is the chapel gallery ; beneath the 
chapel is a fine vaulted crypt. The walls of the Passage-room, or 
Chapel, represent, in tapestry, the history of Noah. Here is an 
antique cabinet, bearing elaborately-carved figures to illustrate 
subjects from our Saviour's history : The entry into Jerusalem, 
Bearing the Cross, Taking down from the Cross, and the Entomb- 



SEVENOAKS. 117 

merit Considerable interest attaches to this group of figures, from 
the fact that Mary Queen of Scots presented them to the second 
Earl of Dorset within a short period of her execution. 

Sevenoaks reposes in beautiful scenery, and the walk from thence 
to Tunbridge will prove a feast to the pedestrian that loves to 
luxuriate in the majestic grandeur of nature in her loveliest forms. 

The church is a noble structure, dedicated to St. Nicholas ; the 
square tower is built in the perpendicular style ; it has a nave, 
chancel, and two aisles. Amongst the monuments are those of 
William Lambarde, the perambulator, who died in 1601 ; Earis 
Whit worth and Amherst ; and a brass for Hugh Owen, rector, 
without date. The living is a vicarage, with a sinecure rectory, 
valued at £935 per annum : the present incumbent is the Eev. H. 
F. Sidebottom. 



DAETFOED. 

Dartford, on the river Darent, lies at the north side of the 
county, fifteen miles from London, and about six miles from 
Gravesend. It is called in Saxon Derentford, and in Domesday 
Tarenteford. This parish has an area of 4,286 acres, 1,318 houses, 
and 6,597 inhabitants. 

The uplands are thin and gravelly, the valleys a rich fertile 
loam, and on the northern side marsh land stretches down to the 
Thames. The town of Dartford is seated in a valley between two 
hills, one of chalk and the other of a sandy loam. The railway 
crosses the Darent and the marshes by a long viaduct, from which 
this really important town is seen to advantage. The principal 
street, which flanks the old road from London to Dover, is a scene 
of bustle and" excitement on market day ; here are plenty of well- 
stocked shops, and numerous inns ; the latter, however, we fear, 
suffer in some degree since steam has superseded the good old 
coaching times, when numerous post travellers would alight at one 
or other of these inns and partake of the good fare awaiting them, 
while postillions, less pretentious, luxuriated under the auspices of 
buxom cooks by their blazing hearths, when muffled guards were 
wont to wind their horn, the precursor of the dashing stage-coach, 
with its blowing horses and semi-frozen passengers. We well 
remember those days, and the delight with which we have plunged 
into the creature-comforts placed before us. 

A bridge spans the river, built at the expense of the county. In 
the reign of Edward III. there was no bridge, but a ferry, valued 
among the rents of the manor. The first bridge (both narrow and 
steep) was built during the reign of Henry VI. 

There was formerly a considerable fishery here, even as late as 



118 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

James I. ; for, according to the records, The royal manor of Dart- 
ford received for the fishery six salmon annually ; and the manor of 
Dartford Priory received a yearly rent of £50 for a fishery. 

Dartford must have been a place of some note early in the 
Christian era. The Watling Street of the Romans is very con- 
spicuous between Dartford and the Brent, on its way to Shinglewell 
and Rochester, near which are three small barrows plundered of 
their contents. Barrows are very ancient repositories for the dead ; 
they are of different kinds and sizes. Those formed of stones 
heaped up are mostly found in Scotland, and are supposed to be of 
Roman origin ; whilst those of earth, in the form of a mound, are 
attributed to the ancient Britons or Danes. Many of the latter 
have been discovered in Kent. On digging into these barrows or 
tumuli, many curious relics have been found, such as urns of burnt 
pottery, containing calcined bones and ashes ; skeletons, with the 
knees pressed to the chest ; bones entire enclosed in stone coffins ; 
other bones merely buried ; trinkets ; and, in one instance, large 
numbers of beetles, indicating that the same superstition governed 
the people deposited in these barrows as belonged to the ancient 
Pharaohs, when the Egyptians enclosed with the sacred ibis similar 
insects. 

In the reign of Henry II. the manor of Dartford was conferred 
on St. Paul, a Norman lord, which Henry III. gave to the Earl of 
Albemarle ; it afterwards reverted to the crown. Edward II., how- 
ever, gave it to his half-brother, Edmund de Woodstock, Earl of 
Kent. It was in the possession of Lord Stanley during the reign 
of Richard III. 

Frederic, Emperor of Germany, sent the Archbishop of Cologne 
with a suite of noblemen to Dartford, in the reign of Henry III., to 
demand in marriage Isabella, sister of the King, where the nuptials 
were solemnised by proxy previous to her departure for Germany. 

Edward III. celebrated a famous tournament here in 1331, after 
his return from France, at which the elite of the English nobility 
were present. It was here also that Wat Tyler, an inhabitant, 
raised the revolt in the 5th of Richard II., when his daughter 
received the insult, and who marched hence to London as the leader 
of 100,000 men. 

Dartford heath was anciently famed as the rendezvous of Tox- 
ophilites — dexterous bowmen. They bore the appellation of the 
Royal Kentish Bowmen, and had a noble house called the Lodge 
on the western side of the heath, fitted expressly for their use. Half 
a mile eastward is another heath, called Dartford Brent, memorable 
as the spot where Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, encamped 
his army in 1452, and where, also, in 1648, General Fairfax con- 
centrated his forces. 

In remote times the Knights Templars held lands at Dartford, 
which were called the Manor of Dartford Temple, but after 



DARTFORD. 119 

Edward II. had seized them and imprisoned the Templars, the 
lands were called the Manor of Temple. This manor was given 
by Act of Parliament, in the 17th of the same reign, to the prior 
and brethren called the Knights Hospitallers. It reverted to the 
crown in the reign of James I., who gave the estates to the Earl of 
Salisbury. 

Edward III. founded and endowed a nunnery at Dartford about 
the year 1355, which was dedicated to St. Mary and St. Margaret. 
This priory was richly endowed and of large extent. The nuns 
were of the order of St. Augustine, and mostly ladies of high birth. 
According to Kilburn, Bridget, daughter of Edward IV., was 
prioress here, as were also the daughters of the Lords Scope and 
Beaumont, with other noble ladies, most of whom were buried 
within its walls. At the dissolution of this religious house, the 
annual revenues, as estimated by Speed, exceeded £400— a consider- 
able sum in those days. It afterwards formed a temporary royal 
residence for Henry VIII. and Queen Elizabeth. Edward VI. gave 
the manor and priory of Dartford to the Lady Anne of Cleves for 
her natural life, of which she died possessed in the 4th year of 
Queen Mary. The remains of the priory are built of brick, of the 
date of Henry VII. (fifteenth century), and comprise a large embat- 
tled gate-house, and a wing on the south. The orchards and gardens 
spread over an area of twelve acres, surrounded by a stone wall, of 
which portions remain. 

The first paper mill in England was erected here in the reign of 
Elizabeth by Sir John Spillman. He was jeweller to the Queen, 
and, with her license, had the sole privilege of collecting rags for 
ten years for the manufacture of writing-paper. Since then Dart- 
ford has been noted for its paper mills, an illustration of which is 
afforded in the colossal works of Mr. Saunders, known as the 
Phoenix Paper Mills* It was here also that iron was first pre- 
pared for wire drawing, as early as 1590, by Godfrey Box. Beyond 
oil and corn mills, driven by the water-power of the river, there is 
an extensive gunpowder manufactory, which, although valuable for 
purposes of national defence, is withal a fearful neighbour in the 
event of accident. 

There were formerly two chantries in this parish. That of St. 
Edmund the Martyr stood in the upper burial-ground of the parish, 
and had a charnel-house beneath it ; the other was founded by Att 
Stampitt, vicar, in 1338, for one chaplain to celebrate divine offices 
daily for the health of his soul, 

The church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, stands at the east 
end of the town, and is an ancient early English gothic structure of 
large proportions. It has a bold embattled tower at the north-west, 
a nave and chancel, with aisles, and two other aisles on the north 
and south sides. The screen, in the decorated style, although not 
in good preservation, is interesting. The recent restoration of this 



120 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

noble church., at a cost of £1,700, has been very solidly and faith- 
fully carried out by Mr. A. W. Blomfield, the architect. It was 
reopened December 23, 1862. There are some good brasses and 
monuments ; amongst them the altar tomb of Sir John Spillman, 
with figures kneeling before a desk ; he died in 1607: another altar 
tomb for Clement Petit, and brasses for Richard Martin and his 
wife, 1402 ; Agnes Molyngton, 1454 ; William Rothele,1464 ; with 
numerous others of later date. The living is a vicarage in the gift 
of the Bishop of Winchester, valued at £534 per annum. The Rev. 
G. J. Blomfield, M.A., succeeded to the incumbency in 1856. 



ERITH. 

Erith, from the Saxon JErre-hythe, meaning old haven, is an 
ancient village and parish bounded by the Thames, five miles from 
Woolwich, and fourteen miles from London Bridge, by the North 
Kent Railway, with an area of 4,585 acres, including water, 763 
houses, and a population of 4,143 persons. The view of Erith from 
the Thames is the most picturesque on its banks : bold rising 
woodlands, and magnificent scenery full of animation, arrest the 
attention of every steamboat tourist, whilst the venerable spire of St. 
John's, peering through rich foliage, stands — the monitor of departed 
glory — the living witness of nearly six centuries, pointing to the 
hope and home of every believer. 

Robert Bloomfield, whose poetical effusions will always be 
esteemed for their beautiful simplicity, bequeaths us a grateful 
tribute to Erith, on his recovery from illness, which he prefaces 
thus : — / esteem the following lines, because they remind me of past 
feelings which I would not willingly forget : 

I seek thee where, with all his might, 

The joyous bird his rapture tells j 
Amidst the half-excluded light 

That gilds the foxglove's pendent bells ; 
"Where cheerly up the bold hill's side 

The deep'ning groves triumphant climb, 
In groves delight and peace abide, 

And Wisdom marks the lapse of time. 

O'er eastward uplands, gay or rude, 

Along to Erith's ivied spire, 
I start, with strength and hope renew'd, 

And cherish life's rekind'ling fire. 
Now measure vales with straining eyes, 

Now trace the churchyard's humble names, 
Or climb brown heaths, abrupt that rise, 

And overlook the winding Thames. 

The village of Erith, once a corporate town of some importance, 
formed an irregular line of street leading to the river, feince the 



EK1TH. 121 

census of 1851, however, it has nearly doubled in population and 
dwellings, which may be attributed to railway communication and 
the construction of a pier. There are two railway stations in this 
parish — Abbey Wood and Erith — distinct of the pier, where Graves- 
end steamers land visitors during the season. These facilities have led 
to the erection of handsome villa residences and seats, and numerous 
family houses. Here is a good hotel, with pleasure gardens fronting 
the Thames, animated materially by numerous gay yachts generally 
anchored off the pier, which, added to salubrity of air, charming 
scenery, and lodgings at moderate charges, have of late years 
brought Erith into notice as a resort for visitors. Let us hope that 
the unfortunate proximity of the great southern outfall of the 
metropolitan sewer, with its consequent exhalations, may not prove 
damaging to its rising interests. 

Half a mile west of Erith Church is Belvedere House, built on 
the site of the mansion of Lord Baltimore, who died in 1751. It 
was afterwards sold to Sampson Gideon, Esq., at whose death in 
1762 it reverted to his son, Sir Sampson, who was created Lord 
Eardley in 1769. He rebuilt the mansion, and principally resided 
there. The late proprietor, Sir Culling Eardley, whose death 
brought sorrow to so many at Belvedere, materially improved this 
property by leasing his lands for building purposes. Here are 
handsome villas and semi-detached residences rapidly rising to a 
town, where many citizens of London reside, now that railway 
transit has brought a twelve-mile journey within a short half hour 
of the metropolis. Here is also a chapel, dedicated to * All Saints,' 
under the governance of trustees, valued at £100 per annum. The 
Rev. J. H. Bernan was appointed, minister in 1856. The Baptists 
have also a neat little chapel, which was opened on September 29, 
1863. 

Belvedere House is a noble brick structure, standing on the brow 
of a hill, with a fine prospect over the Thames far into Essex. The 
grounds are most extensive, laid out with considerable taste in 
beautiful walks and choice plantations. The house, replete with 
every luxury in furniture and fittings, may be viewed by tickets, and 
will well repay a visit, the paintings especially, most of which are 
by the great masters; for although a number of the best were sold in 
1860, there still remain fine specimens of Rubens, Teniers, Vandyck, 
Murillo, and others. 

Azor de Lesneie, in the time of the Saxons, was possessor of 
Erith, when it was called Lesnes, otherwise Erith. In the reign 
of Henry II. it was granted to Richard de Lucy, Chief Justice of 
England, who founded the Abbey of Westwood, which he liberally 
endowed. In 1179 he retired from office, and became a monk in 
his own monastery, where he died and was buried within a year. 

This monastery, of the St. Augustine order, was founded in 
1178, and retained its name as the Abbey of Westwood until 1291, 



122 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

when Edward I. changed it to Lesnes Abbey, and conferred on the 
Abbot of Lesnes and his successors free warren of all the lands. 
Godfrey de Lucy, a near relation of the founder, was a munificent 
benefactor during this reign, when the Abbey Chapel was conse- 
crated to the Virgin Mary and St. Thomas the Martyr. After its 
suppression in 1524 it became private property, and was in the pos- 
session of Sir John Hippesly in 1630. Weever (vicar of Erith in 
the reign of James I.) in his Funeral Monuments tells us that the 
chapel having laid long in ruins, Sir John Hippesly appointed 
workmen to dig out the rubbish, when they discovered a monument 
of the Lucy family, in the form of a stone coffin, covered with a 
marble slab, bearing the recumbent figure of a knight in full armour. 
Within the tomb was a coffin of lead, which he thus \ describes: — 
In a sheet of lead, fit for the dimensions of a body, were the remains 
of an ashie dry carcase, whole and undisjointed, and upon the head 
some hair. They also found other statues of men, and one of a woman 
in her attire and habiliments. 

Dr. Stukeley further enlightens us as to the original structure, 
which he represents as standing on a pleasing prominence half-way 
down the hill towards the marsh ; above is a very large and beautiful 
wood of oak. Part of the original house or seat of the founder is now 
a farm-house. Of the monastery, towards the south, little remains; 
there were two grand gateways, long since destroyed. South of the 
dwelling is the church, built of stone, of which only the north wall re- 
mains. The outward wall of the cloisters, on the south side of the 
church, are still standing ; there are also ruins of the refectory, hall of 
the canons, and sub-prior's apartments. Coffins of stone and monu- 
ments have frequently been dug up ; these were of the canons, who were 
always buried along the cloisters. Little now remains beyond the 
garden wall, and that of the refectory on the north side, although 
critical eyes describe the site of the cloister court. Abbey farm, 
however, covers a portion of the original monastery. Several 
ancient seals of Lesnes' Abbey are still extant, five of which are 
figured in Measom's Railway Guide. 

The parish of Erith is in the diocese of Rochester and deanery 
of Dartford. The old ivied church, dedicated to St. John the 
Baptist, is of early date, probably of the thirteenth century, from 
the early English architecture abounding, although portions ex- 
hibit the decorated and perpendicular styles, additions subsequent 
to the foundation ; it has a nave, north and south aisles, and a 
double chancel. The most ancient brass is dated 1405, being for 
John Aylmer ; an altar tomb for the Countess of Shrewsbury, 1568 ; 
a monument for Francis Vanacker, Lord of the Manor of Erith ; 
an ancient brass for Ellin Atte Coke ; and a goodly monument by 
Chantrey to the memory of Lord Eardley, with many other memo- 
rials. It is an interesting fact that in the reign of King John, the 
year following that of the Magna Charta, the royal commissioners 



ERITII. 123 

met the opposing barons in Erith Church to negotiate peace. The 
living of Erith is a vicarage, in the gift of Lord Wynford, valued 
at £600 per annum. The Rev. C. J. Smith, M.A., was presented 
to the incumbency in 1852. 

Little did we anticipate, when writing of Dartford, and glancing 
at the fearful proximity of powder mills, that our present chapter 
would close by noticing an appalling reality, the explosion of two 
magazines of gunpowder at Erith, dealing death and destruction far 
and near, unprecedented in this country for the area over which its 
effects were felt, even to the bounds of a radius of fifty miles, in- 
volving the loss of life and an enormous amount of property. 
Scarcely a home in the vicinity escaped without shattered windows, 
even to the venerable ivy- mantled church of Erith. To form an 
approximate estimate of the damage, one estate alone at Belvedere 
required upwards of a ton of glass to repair. We mingle sympathies 
with the sufferers, whose serious calamity was told simultaneously 
to millions of British subjects on the memorable birth-morn of 
October 1864. 



GILLINGHAM. 

Gillengham, written in Domesday Gelingeham, adjoins Chatham 
on the north-east. The soil is poor, principally an unfertile red 
earth, intermixed with rotten flints; the parish southward is hilly 
and dreary, with coppice woods of oak, and covers 6,683 acres, 
including water. Gillingham has several small hamlets among the 
woods, which are miles distant from the parish church ; the popula- 
tion number 14,608, and the houses 2^072. 

The manor- of Gillingham was the property of Canterbury 
Cathedral ages before the Norman Conquest; an archiepiscopal 
palace adjoined the churchyard, the remains of which are a stone 
building, now converted into a barn 110 feet by 30, supposed to 
have been the great hall of the palace. 

A great battle was fought here between Edmund Ironside and 
King Canute ; William, surnamed Gillingham, the learned monk 
who wrote a history of the nation, was born in this parish in the 
reign of Richard II. 

In the last century a large urn was dug up in the salt marshes, 
containing burnt bones and ashes. A fort was erected on the shore 
in the reign of Charles I., but was not very formidable, for, during 
the Dutch expedition of 1667, only four guns were capable of 
service ; it is now called Gillingham Castle, a mere ruin. 

There are several manors in this parish ; the largest are East and 
West Court, Twidall, with a sub-estate called Dane Court, and the 
Grange (anciently Grench). The manor of Grench in the reign of 



124 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

Edward III. was bound to find one ship and two able and well- 
armed men for the service of the King for forty days. 

John Beaufitz, of Twidall, founded and endowed a chantry in 
1433, which he dedicated to St. John the Baptist, for one priest to 
celebrate mass for the souls of himself his wife, and ancestors. Ac- 
cording to Philipott, the chapel was in the north wing of the main 
building, handsomely wainscoted, and, from the seats and other 
remains, must have been a neat and elegant piece of architecture ; 
it was taken down, with part of the old house, in the year 1756. 

Near the manor house of Grange are the remains of a chapel and 
prison, with two entrances under stone arches ; the walls are of 
great thickness. In the principal arch the iron stanchions once 
supporting a massive door are still remaining. Within a short 
distance is another large building of remote date, the walls equally 
thick, and in which the outlines of large arched windows may be 
traced. One writer gives the date 1385, the 8th of Richard II., 
with the builder, John Philpot. Seymour endorses this opinion so 
far as naming Sir John Philpot as the founder, but without giving 
any date. 

Hume records an historical fact that renders Gillingham interest- 
ing to antiquarians, although it is less known, or rather less con- 
sidered, than others of less importance. In the eleventh century 
Godwin, or Goodwyne, Earl of Kent, having allied his daughter 
Editha to Edward the Confessor, summoned a general council at 
Gillingham to establish the succession of the throne to the heirs of 
that prince. The Danes opposed his views, but Godwin's adherents 
outnumbered them, when Edward was declared King in 1042 and 
the Saxon line restored. Upon the death of Edward, Harold, son 
of Godwin, assumed the throne, under the pretence that the late 
King had named him as his successor. William of Normandy, 
however, making the like claim, invaded England, and killed Harold 
at the battle of Hastings, in 1066, when he ascended the throne as 
William the Conqueror. 

The county convict prison stands near the coast-guard station 
in this parish; it was built in 1856 for 1,200 prisoners, besides 
officers, warders, and servants. Opposite to the convict prison is 
St. Mary's Barracks, an invalid depot for sick and wounded persons 
returning from abroad. 

On the summit of a hill, at the east end of the village, stands the 
ancient parish church, dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene, overlooking 
the Royal Dockyard, the River Medway, and diversified scenery, as 
well as being itself a picturesque object from distant points. This 
noble church, partly Norman, though mainly in the perpendicular 
style of architecture, bespeaks sad neglect. Entering by the west, 
and descending a flight of four steps, we witness much bad taste in 
ugly, unmeaning pews, and the absence of reverence for a time- 
honoured pile in the decay that surrounds us. Passing down the 



GILLINGHAM. 125 

nave between handsome columns and fine pointed arches, we reach 
the chancel, with its double stone sedilia, near which is an ancient 
monument. On the south side is a chantry or chapel, recently 
cleansed, but bearing a miserable appearance, without a vestige of 
its former paving, or any monumental records beyond a raised 
stone to the memory of William Hayward and his wife Alice, dated 
1610-1612. Near the chancel are two ancient memorial stones, 
once bearing brasses. According to Phippen, there have been 
tombs here to the families of Boys, Hulme, and Drawbridge, of which 
none remain. There were brasses also of the Beaufitz family 
(fifteenth century), several of whom were buried here. 

The font is very ancient, and of large dimensions, octagon in 
form and Norman in execution. There are north and south aisles, 
and a bold stately tower at the west end, with an early English 
porch, over which is a niche, said to have been once tenanted by a 
statuette of Our Lady of Gillingham, and held in great sanctity — 
so much so that in olden times pilgrimages were made to Gilling- 
ham to worship at her shrine. 

The Registrum Rqffensis contains an account of the painted glass 
in the windows of Gillingham Church in 1621, which are described 
as being filled with subjects of Scripture history, and the portraits of 
Robert and John Beaufitz, with their arms and names. 

The living is a vicarage, valued at £643 per annum. The Rev. 
John Page, D.D., has been the incumbent since 1822. 



UPCHURCH. 

Upchurch, onee the property of the Leybournes, lies close to the 
marshes; of 5,138 acres of land, nearly 1,200 are fresh and salt 
marshes. The village stands on high ground nearly in the centre 
of the parish, near which is the church. The land is considered 
thin and poor, which favours the growth of broom and fern, whilst 
towards the south there is much woodland, principally oak coppice ; 
the elm flourishes here, and abounds in the hedgerows. There are 
468 inhabitants, occupying 113 houses. The exhalations of hu- 
midity from the marshes subject the residents to intermittent fevers ; 
hence the limited population. 

The interesting feature, however, of Upchurch is the remains of 
an extensive Roman pottery, which, from the examinations of 
distinguished antiquarians, is supposed to have been a principal 
manufactory during the Roman epoch, ending in the fifth century, 
when the coast line, now partially submerged at high water, was 
dry land, and covered with the houses of workmen, pottery works, 
and kilns. In the beds of the creeks many fragments of large 



126 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

pottery have been got out of the mud, and on the banks of the 
creeks, after digging below the surface, the remains of several 
kilns were discovered, and excellent specimens of Roman art, 
many of which are in the possession of the vicar ; they are in various 
colours, some of beautiful design and classical in form. Similar 
potteries have been traced for miles on the banks of the Medway. 
The clay in this neighbourhood being very superior and most abun- 
dant, explains the reason why the Romans made this locality the 
important seat of large pottery works. 

The parish church, dedicated to St. Mary, is an ancient structure 
in the decorated style, once the property of the Order of Lisle Dieu 
in Normandy, but now that of All Saints College, Oxford, to whom 
it was given by Henry VI. in 1439. It has a nave, north and south 
aisles, chancel, and transept. In the chancel are stone sedilia and 
painted glas Endows. A winding staircase from the chancel leads 
into a vault .i-id with human bones, the history of which is un- 
known. The Rev. John Woodruff was appointed vicar in 1834; 
the living is valued at £243 per annum. 



127 



THE ISLE OF SHEPPEY. 



Chapter I. 

This island, of about thirty miles in circumference, is bounded on 
the north by the Thames, and on the west by the Medway, whilst on 
the east and south an arm of the sea called the Swale jw spanned 
by the railway bridge, completes its insulation. 7_ Swale will 
be long memorable as the waters wherein St. Augustine baptized 
10,000 converts to Christianity on the morning of Christmas-day 
597. 

The Isle of Sheppey was known to Ptolemy. The Saxons called 
it Sceapige, the island of sheep, from the large numbers fed there. 
The land rises from the shores on the south-east and west ; on the 
north runs a range of clay cliffs six miles in length, rising to an 
elevation approaching 100 feet, but gradually declining towards the 
extremities. The sea has washed away and undermined these 
cliffs in many places. Ireland tells us that, so great is the loss of 
land at the more elevated parts, that sometimes near an acre has sunk 
in one mass from that height upon the beach below, with the corn re- 
maining entire on the surface, which has subsequently grown, increased 
to maturity, and been reaped in that state, with very trifliyig loss to the 
owner. 

There is much pasture land on the southern side, famous for the 
fattening of cattle, of which large numbers are sent to the leading 
markets. Fresh water is scarce, excepting between Eastchurch 
and Minster ; here the land, surrounded by hedgerows of elm, 
produces good corn, and the general aspect wears a rich Kentish 
charm when clothed in nature's verdant garb, beyond which we of 
the middle seasons cannot dilate. 

Whilst the Saxons generally resorted to the Isle of Thanet, the 
Danes selected that of Sheppey as their landing-point, where they 
frequently wintered. Their first visit was in the year 832 ; they 
then ravaged and plundered the island. On their next appearance, 
in 849, they remained through the winter. These incursions were 
frequent until 1016, when King Edmund gained a great victory 
over Canute and his army ; many tumuli or barrows, the supposed 
graves of the Danish commanders, have been found on the southern 
side. 



128 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

Pyrites (copperas stones) abound on the beach, but less so than 
when, in the fifteenth century, the neighbouring poor were 
employed to collect them in heaps by ship-loads. The continuous 
wear of the cliff tends to dislodge fossils, of which large numbers 
have been gathered. The late distinguished naturalist of Faver- 
sham, Mr. Jacob, published an interesting account of vegetable 
and animal fossils collected by himself on this island in 1757, 
hardly to be paralleled for variety and amount in the like area. 
The same writer has also published an interesting catalogue of the 
many curious plants he observed growing over the whole surface 
whilst prosecuting his scientific researches. 

King's Ferry was formerly the principal passage for carriages, 
cattle, and passengers, maintained at the charge of the landowners 
and inhabitants by an assessment made annually. The staff of 
officers comprised a ferry warden, constable, two ferrymen, and a 
ferry keeper, the latter having the privilege of dredging for oysters 
within prescribed bounds. King's Ferry is now a thing of the 
past, the fine railway bridge being adapted for carriage and passen- 
ger traffic, distinct of its especial purpose. 

There are seven parishes on this island — Minster, Queenborough, 
Eastchurch, Warden, Leysdown, Elmley, and Harty. 



MINSTER 

Occupies high ground on the north side of the island, and is the 
principal parish, taking its name from the Saxon word minstre, ■ £ 
monastery,' of which a few fragments remain near the church ir 
the village. 

Sexburga, wife of Ercombert, King of Kent, founded a monas- 
tery for seventy-seven nuns, of which she was principal until abou 
675, when her daughter Ermenilda became lady abbess. Th< 
Danes, however, cruelly persecuted this sisterhood, and ultimately 
dispersed them. The monastery was afterwards abandoned, unti 
William the Conqueror, who, on the murder of the prioress o 
Newington, removed the nuns to this ruined house, which was ill 
maintained until 1130, when Archbishop Corboil dedicated it t< 
SS. Mary and Sexburga; he restored the structure, and re-establish ec 
the institution with Benedictine nuns. The revenues of tin 
monastery were valued at £139 per annum in 1384, but at the sup 
pression of religious houses in the reign of Henry VIII. an abbes, 
and ten nuns were all that remained on the foundation. 

The manor of Minster, with the site of the monastery, belongec 
to Sir John Haywood in 1623 ; at his death in 1636 he bequeathec 
them for charitable uses. In 1651 £50 per annum was settled or 



MINSTER. 129 

the parish of St. Nicholas, Rochester, for the relief of the poor ; 
these estates, however, increasing in value, the trustees were en- 
abled to purchase, from the savings, £636 South Sea stock, which 
sum was transferred to the Mayor and Corporation of Rochester, 
in 1718, for the maintenance of charity schools. 

The manor of Newhall, once Borstal, was the property of Fulk 
Peyforer in the reign of Edward II. Sir William Cromer, Lord 
Mayor of London, died possessed of it in 1433 ; towards the close 
of the seventeenth century it was enjoyed by John Swift, Esq., who 
rebuilt the mansion, where he resided. Bushingdon is another 
manor, given by Henry II. to Christ Church, Canterbury. 
Philippa, Queen of Edward III., purchased this manor, and con- 
ferred it, with the farm of Dandely, on the Hospital of St. Katherine, 
London. This monastery, to quote from Ireland, consisted of a 
master, three sisters, and ten beadswomen, with officers and servants. 

The' parish of Minster, which includes the town of Sheerness, 
has an area of 11,035 acres, including water ; 2,305 houses, and a 
population of 13,964 souls, of which number 1,352 persons are on 
board vessels. 

The church of Minster, dedicated to the SS. Mary and Sexburga, 
is a fine old gothic structure, with nave, aisles, and double chancel ; 
the square tower is surmounted by a turret, with a clock and 
musical bells. In the north chancel is the tomb of Sir Thomas 
Cheney, whose son, Lord Cheney, caused his father's remains, with 
those of his ancestors, to be removed from a chapel where they 
were buried, and re -interred in this chancel. Here are some good 
monuments ; that of a man in full armour reposes under an arch on 
the north side ; on the south side is an ancient tomb, bearing the 
recumbent figure of a knight, with a horse's head sculptured in 
marble above, to the memory of Sir Robert de Shurland, both 
dating from the thirteenth century. Here is also a good brass, 
representing a- knight in full armour, with sword and spurs, and a 
female figure by his side, supposed to be commemorative of Sir John 
Northwood and his lady, but beyond the word hie nothing is legible. 
The living is a perpetual curacy, in the diocese of Canterbury, 
valued at £169 per annum ; the Rev. R. C. "Willis succeeded to the 
appointment in the year 1847. There is a chapel of ease at Sheer- 
ness, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, in the gift of the incumbent 
of Minster Church, which is also a perpetual curacy ; this living 
is valued at £200, but the cure is sixfold that of the mother church. 
The Rev. George Bryant, M.A., has been incumbent since 1845. 



130 

Chapter II. 

SHEERNESS. 

The glory of Sheerness is the dockyard, covering an area of sixty 
acres, enclosed by a brick wall. Although a chapelry to the 
parish of Minster, and within its ecclesiastical jurisdiction, it is 
now separated in its civil government. 

In the reign of Charles I. the site now called Sheerness was a 
watery swamp ; but after the Restoration a fort mounting twelve 
guns was erected to defend the passage of the Medway. When 
the Dutch war was proclaimed shortly afterwards, it was deter- 
mined to erect a royal fort. The King, Charles II., made two 
journeys in the winter of 1667 to inaugurate the work; it would, 
however, appear with little success, for when the Dutch made an 
attack on the navy in the same year, they destroyed the whole, 
and landed a large force. This daring act led to the construction 
of formidable fortifications at different points on either side of the 
river, improved and multiplied from time to time until the present ; 
now presenting a magnificent coast-line of heavy cannon, to sweep 
from our waters any hostile power that dares invade them. After 
the erection of the fort, a royal dock was made, principally for the 
building of small ships of war, and the repairing of others ; old ships 
of war, called breakwaters, were formerly stationed here, intended 
to check the force of the tides : these were the homes of sixty or 
seventy families, when the numerous brick chimneys rising from the 
gun-decks gave the appearance of a floating town. 

In 1809 the dockyard was reconstructed for first-rate line of 
battle ships ; year by year, from that time, stupendous works were 
prosecuted with indefatigable zeal. In 1822 a basin was opened 
sufficient to dock twelve of these colossal vessels ; within a few 
years additional docks were completed, as well as immense store- 
houses, factories, and other buildings ; a wall of stone 800 feet in 
length, collateral with the town pier ; a basin, 520 feet by 300 ; 
three docks, 245 by 90 feet, with iron gates, each pair weighing 
160 tons. Without, however, following up to the present the 
magnitude of operations that have raised the dockyard of Sheerness 
to prominence amongst the many skirting our coast, we may 
merely mention that, distinct of the numerous works affording 
employment for large numbers of artisans and labourers, the estab- 
lishment, a few years since, of an extensive steam-engine factory 
alone employs several hundreds. The dockyard was formed on a 
complete morass, the excavations from which furnished soil suffi- 



SHEERNESS. 131 

cient to raise the level of the swamp twelve feet. During these 
operations many interesting antiquities were dug up, amongst them 
a remarkably fine carving in oak of our Saviour, of large size. 
The well that supplies water for the houses of the Admiralty and 
its vicinity is 365 feet deep, and 8 in diameter. 

The town of Sheerness may be described as Blue Town and Mile 
Town, and the suburbs Banks Town and Marina. Blue Town is 
within the garrison limits, and has a pier. In 1827 some sixty 
houses were destroyed by fire, and in 1830 fifty more shared a like 
calamity. Mile Town, without the limits of the garrison, has a line 
of fortification on the outside, with a ditch to a fleet running to the 
sea-wall towards the Med way, which forms the outer side of the 
moat that surrounds the works. Banks Town and Marina lie on 
the coast, with good modern houses, inns, and public gardens. 
Here is an excellent beach, and fine bracing sea air ; the water is 
transparently clear, and invigorating to bathers : those dainty little 
bivalves, native oysters, are abundant here. 

Besides the chapel of ease to Minster Church is a new Roman 
Catholic Church, erected near the sea, and opened by Bishop Grant 
on September 14, 1864. It is a good specimen of gothic archi- 
tecture, designed by Pugin, built by Smith of Ramsgate, and capable 
of seating 500 persons. 

During the season Gravesend steamboats make daily excursions 
to Southend and Sheerness, whilst the ordinary route is by railway. 



QUEENBOEOUGH. 

This is a small parish of 500 acres, 172 houses, and 973 inhabit- 
ants. Here was an extensive manufactory of copperas in the fif- 
teenth century, which is still continued, but on a small scale, owing 
to the dearth of material. During the Saxon kings it was named 
Cyningborgh. They had a castle adjacent to the Swale, afterwards 
called the Castle of Sheppey. Edward III. erected a noble structure 
on the site of the Saxon castle, and, in honour of his queen, 
Philippa, gave the parish its present name, Queenborough, and con- 
stituted it a free borough by charter in 1366, with a Mayor, the 
townsmen being the burgesses, two markets weekly, and two fairs. 
This Edwardian castle, six years in building, was finished the year 
following the incorporation, being intended for a defence of the 
island and a refuge for the people ; King Edward was occasionally 
resident here. This fortress was maintained and repaired by the 
State down to Queen Elizabeth. After the death of the first 
Charles it was condemned as useless, sold, and pulled down. The 

K2 



132 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

constables of this castle were men of high rank, John of Gaunt 
amongst them, in the 50th year of Edward III. 

Lime-burning and the manufacture of Roman cement give 
employment to many of the inhabitants, as do also the oyster 
fisheries, established some centuries since. 

Queenborough is within the ecclesiastical diocese of Canterbury ; 
the church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, was formerly a chapel 
to Minster Church, but now a donative in the gift of the Mayor 
and Corporation, ranking as a perpetual curacy, with a pitiable 
stipend of £85 per annum. The Rev. Richard Bingham, M.A., 
succeeded to the incumbency in 1856. 



Chapter III. 

EASTCHUECH. 

Eastchurch stands on high grounds in the middle of the island, 
lying eastward of Minster ; hence its name. The parish extends 
over 8,621 acres, with 206 dwelling-houses and 996 inhabitants, 
the village being nearly in the centre, and the pretty little church 
adjacent. The manor of Milton claims over this parish. 

The manor of Shurland takes its name from Sir Jeffrey de 
Shurland, who was a man of note in the reign of Henry III., and 
governor of Dover Castle in the year 1225. His son, Sir Robert, 
was Lord Warden in the reign of Edward I., and attended the King 
to the siege of Caerlaverock, in Scotland ; he had free warren of all 
his lands, and the right of the wreck of the sea. He died towards 
the close of the thirteenth century, and was buried in Minster 
Church, with the head of a horse projecting from above his tomb. 
A legend, current for centuries, tells us that Sir Robert, passing 
Minster Church on a certain day, saw around an open grave a 
crowd disputing with a priest who had refused his offices without 
pre-payment ; the priest was known to him, and, in disgust, he 
drew his sword and struck off his head ; fearful of the power of the 
Church, he retired to his mansion. Shortly afterwards King 
Edward was sailing by the island, when, with great daring, the 
knight spurred his horse into the sea, and swam to the King's 
vessel, two miles from the coast, to sue for pardon, which was 
granted conditionally that he swam back again ; on landing he was 
met by a witch, who prophesied that the horse would ultimately 
prove his death ; this he determined to defeat by at once killing the 
animal. A year after, being of a hunting party, he dismounted on 
the beach, and whilst walking struck his foot against what appeared 



EASTCHURCn. ' 133 

a stone, which proved to be the skull of his horse ; a sharp fragment 
of bone pierced it, and he shortly died, after directing that a horse's 
head should be affixed to his monument. This legend, however, 
may be ascribed to the privilege of Sir Robert de Shurland, who, 
possessing the right of wrecks on the coast of his manor, was 
entitled to claim all remains scattered on the shore, to the extent of 
a lance, pointed towards the sea at low water, from the saddle of 
his steed. 

Northwood, another manor of some repute, was remotely the 
property of Jordan de Sheppey, whose son, Stephen, adopted the 
surname of Northwood, having possessed a manor in the parish of 
Milton, on this island, of that name ; these manors, in olden times, 
were distinguished as the manor of Northwood within Sheppey and 
the manor of Northwood without Sheppey. 

The manor of Kingsborough stands near the centre of the island ; 
this, as its name imports, was Crown property, where general 
court and law day was held annually in the King's name, and 
homage sworn, for faithful choice of a proper officer, as constable 
over the island. 

At the west end of the village rises the gothic church, dedicated 
to All Saints, with its battled roof, and tower containing five bells, 
a nave, two aisles, and triple chancel : it was probably built towards 
the close of the fifteenth century, for a patent of the 9th of Henry 
VI. secured to the abbot and convent of Boxley certain lands in 
the parish for the building of a new church. This is a sumptuous 
living, valued at £1,724 per annum. The rector and vicar is the 
Rev. T. B. Dickson, B.D., who succeeded to the living in 1858. 



WAEDEN 

Is the next parish, north of Eastchurch, with an area of 796 acres, 
10 houses, and 47 residents. The village stands high; the uplands 
are mostly arable, those in the vale pasture, but towards Eastchurch 
it abounds in furze and broom; the side towards Leysdown is 
marshy, and submerged at high water. 

The manor of Warden was the property of John de Savage, of 
Bobbing, in 1295, in which year Edward I. granted a charter of 
free warren for all his lands. John Sawbridge, of Ollantigh, pur- 
chased the manor of a descendant of Lord Delawar. He was an 
alderman and Lord Mayor of London ; on his death, in 1795, it 
descended to his eldest son. According to Ireland, the whole 
parish, with the exception of a tenement and six acres of land, was 
his property. 



134 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

This parish is in the diocese of Canterbury ; the church, dedi- 
cated to St. James, was rebuilt of stone about the year 1830 ; the 
living is a rectory, valued at £70 per annum. 



LEYSDOWN, 

Formerly Leysdon, a compound of two Saxon words — lesive a 
pasture, and dune high. This parish consists of 4,302 acres, 53 
houses, and 215 inhabitants ; it is bounded on the north by the cliffs, 
and on the south by the Isle of Harty. 

Mr. Jacob, already referred to, discovered, in 1750, embedded in 
the clay washed from the cliff, the remains of an elephant ; these 
comprised a spinal vertebrae, a tusk measuring eight feet, a thigh bone 
four feet, pieces of grinders, and other fragments, but all so impreg- 
nated with pyritical matter as to prevent their removal without 
falling to pieces. 

The old church, dedicated to St. Clement, was a very ancient 
gothic structure of goodly proportions ; the battled tower, like that 
of Pisa, was a leaning one, and for many ages was seven feet out of 
the perpendicular. After the body of the church had fallen in, the 
tower was taken down to within some ten feet of its base, sufficient, 
however, remaining to mark its fearful posture, and the beauty of 
its very early architecture. 

The present church is a very small structure, having an unpre- 
tentious wooden turret. The living is a vicarage, in the gift of the 
Archbishop of Canterbury ; it is united with the perpetual curacy 
of Harty, the joint value being £300 per annum. The Rev. L. W. 
Lewis, M.A., has held the appointment since 1862. 



ELMLEY 

Is a parish of 2,341 acres, with 35 houses and 140 inhabitants. 
Although accounted part of the Isle of Sheppey, it is separated from. 
it by a small stream on the north side, called the Dray. Goodly 
numbers of sheep are fed here : tiles and bricks are also made on a 
rather extensive scale; indeed, the parish generally wears a healthy 
and prosperous aspect. 

The church, dedicated to St. James, has been rebuilt. The old 
church was for many years sadly dilapidated, without door or 
windows, merely four bare walls. The living is a rectory, in the 
gift of All Souls' College, Oxford, valued at £340 per annum. The 
Rev. J. O. Ryder, M.A., Canon of Lichfield, is the present in- 
cumbent. 

K > « 



135 



HARTY. 

Harty, like Elmley, is a little island, separated from Sheppey by 
a small stream ; its name comes from the Saxon heordtu, meaning 
herds of cattle, for which the island was famous in those times, and 
even now feeds large numbers, being mostly agricultural, the 
property of large farmers. It embraces 3,488 acres of land, 
including water, 26 houses, and 159 inhabitants. 

The abbey of Faversham held an estate here, called Le Long 
House, in the reign of Edward I., and a second, Abbats Court, in 
the time of Henry VII. The nunnery of Davington also had 140 
acres of pasturage in the reign of Edward III., whilst the chapel of 
St. Stephen's, Westminster, held another estate, called Pery Marsh, 
down to the 1 st of Edward VI. 

The church, which anciently belonged to the Benedictine nun- 
nery of Davington, is small, with a nave and chancel, and formerly 
north and south chantries ; it is dedicated to St. Thomas the 
Apostle. The living, which is annexed to that of Leysdown, is 
valued at £50 per annum. 



SITTINGBOURNE 

Takes its name from the Saxon word Scedingburna, i.e. the hamlet 
by the bourne, afterwards written Sedingboume. This parish, 42 
miles from London, extends over an area of 1,008 acres, with a 
population of 4,301 persons, occupying 800 houses. The land rises 
from the marshes to the town, which is cheerful and populous ; the 
soil is mostly a fertile loam. Formerly the village was environed 
by orchards of apples and cherries; most of these, however, have 
given place to hop plantations. 

The town flanks the London road, and forms a long wide street 
of substantial brick houses, with inns and good accommodation for 
travellers. It was at the ' Red Lion' inn that Sir John Northwood 
entertained Henry V. on his triumphal return from France ; the 
banquet, although splendid and worthy of the royal guest, cost 
only 9s. 9d. ; but at that time wine was only 2d. per pint, and other 
charges in the same ratio. 

A noble family mansion stood about the centre of the town, the 
residence of the Tomlyns ; afterwards that of the Lushington 
family, by whom their Majesties George I. and George II. were 
sumptuously entertained on their way through the town, to or from 
the Continent. Subsequently the mansion became the ' George 



136 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

Inn/ and enjoyed considerable popularity from its royal associa- 
tions ; now, however, it has degenerated into an ordinary trades- 
man's shop. 

The population has doubled since the census of 1851, which may be 
attributed in part to the formation of a railway station, the erection of 
cottages on Snip's Hill for brickmakers, and to freehold land having 
been sold for building purposes. 

In 893, the Danes, after landing at Milton, built a castle at a 
place called Kemsleydown, near Milton Church. This fortress, from 
being overgrown with brushwood, was in after ages called Castle 
Rough. King Alfred marched a large army into Kent, and raised 
a stronghold about a mile from the Danish entrenchments, portions 
of the massive stone- work of which were remaining at Bayford 
Castle early in the present century. 

Bayford Castle was the residence of Robert de Nottingham in 
the reign of Edward I., from whence he dated several deeds, still 
extant. His successor, Robert, possessed also the manor of Good- 
neston, once the property of Goodwyne, Earl of Kent, who, having 
rebelled against Edward the Confessor in 1052, repaired for safety 
to Bayford Castle. In the reign of Henry VI. Humphrey Cheney 
disposed of this castle to Mr. Richard Lovelace, of Queenhithe, 
London ; it was afterwards sold with the manor to Mr. Ralph Finch, 
of Kingsdown, whose son Thomas passed it away to Sir William 
Garrard, Lord Mayor of London, a.d. 1555. In the seventeenth 
century it was converted into a farm-house, and called Bayford 
Farm. 

Chilton, formerly a reputable manor in this parish, was the pro- 
perty of William de Chilton in the reign of Edward I. ; Philip, 
Earl of Chesterfield, possessed it in 1725. At a short distance from 
Chilton stood the noble mansion of Fulston, anciently called 
Eoggleton, the early residence of the family of Garrards, from 
whom Sir William Garrard, the purchaser of Bayford Castle, de- 
scended. The south-east chancel of Sittingbourne Church belongs 
to the Chilton manor, and the south chancel to the Fulston estate. 

Queen Elizabeth in her sixteenth year incorporated the town of 
Sittingbourne under the title of a Guardian and free tenants 
thereof, with a weekly market and two annual fairs; this charter 
was enlarged in the 41st year of her reign to a Mayor and Jurats. 
According to a survey of the parish made in the year 1567, 
there were eighty-eight houses, two quays, one vessel of twenty -four 
tons, and two of one ton. 

The church, dedicated to St. Michael, stands at the east end of 
the town, near which rises a spring of good water ; it was burnt 
out on the 17th July, 1762, the tower and bare walls alone re- 
maining. A brief which was granted the following year for its 
restoration was delayed by the owners of the three chancels be- 
longing to Bayford, Chilton, and Fulston refusing to contribute. 



SITTINGBOURNE. 137 

During the next year, however, it was completely refitted. This 
church, conferred on the Benedictine nunnery of Clerkenwell by 
Richard II., but given up to the Crown during Henry VIII., now 
forms part of the ecclesiastical possessions of Canterbury. It is a 
noble structure, consisting of nave, two aisles, two east chancels, 
and two transept chancels. The tower is early English, with a 
steeple containing a clock and six bells. The archdeacon holds his 
visitations here in the archbishop's chancel. The octagon font is 
interesting, and bears the arms of Archbishop Arundel. Most of 
the windows anterior to the fire were filled with coats of arms in 
stained glass, of which little remains. 

The Fulston chancel contains a monument to the memory of 
Thomas Bannister, obiit 1750, and two loose funeral brasses, one 
for Robert Rokell, who died in 1421, and the other for John Cromer 
and his two wives. 

In the chancel belonging to the Chilton estate are ledger-stones 
for the family of the Lushingtons. The fine monument of Dr. 
Lushington, however, was wholly destroyed during the fire. In the 
large vault is but one coffin, enclosing the remains of Mr. Harvey, 
who died in 1751. 

The Archbishop's chancel, now belonging to the incumbent, has 
a memorial for Matthew, grandson of Archbishop Parker, obiit 
1645. 

The chancel belonging to the Bayford estate has a monument of 
great antiquity on the north wall, supposed to have been erected 
about the time of Edward IV., for a female member of the family 
of Lovelaces ; it represents a woman recumbent in a recess under 
a handsome decorated arch. Black describes the figure as dressed 
in grave-clothes, with the shroud turned aside, so as to bare her neck 
and bosom, across which nestles an infant, also shrouded. No inscrip- 
tion remains to tell the sad story of this mother, said to have died 
in childbirth at Bayford Castle. 

The living, valued at £212 per annum, is in the patronage of the 
Archbishop of Canterbury. The Rev. H. T. Walford, M.A., the 
vicar (who is also perpetual curate of Iwade, in this county), was 
appointed in 1846. The vicarage is on the north side of the church- 
yard, adjoining which is the only piece of glebe land belonging to 
the living. 



138 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 



FAVERSHAM. 

Faversham, by the road forty- seven miles from London, or by 
railway forty-nine, has an area of 2,469 acres ; the inhabitants, 
numbering 6,383 persons, occupy 1,204 houses. Many Roman 
antiquities have been found in the parish, proving that it must have 
been known to the Romans during their occupation of this island. 
Cenulph, King of Mercia, in a charter dated 812, named it the 
King's little town of Fefresham. King Alfred conferred its name 
upon the hundred of which it forms part; and King Athelstane 
held a national council or parliament here about 930. 

The lands are fertile and well cultivated, and mostly unencum- 
bered by trees or hedgerows. Hops nourish in the upper parts of 
the down, where there are several orchards. A large tract of 
marshes bound the parish on the north, whilst on the south-east are 
some remarkable pillared excavations in the chalk; the most notable 
is called Hegdale Pit. Various opinions have been formed as to 
their former purpose ; some believe that the Saxons dug these 
caverns as places of refuge for their families and property from the 
attacks of the enemy ; others that from hence was dug the chalk 
for the building of King Stephen's Abbey in 1147. 

Many persons of note were natives of Faversham. Hamo de 
Faversham, a famous Franciscan friar, first provincial of his order in 
England, was born here; he died in 1244. Adam de Faversham 
was archdeacon of Essex in 1271. William de Faversham, a com- 
missioner of Edward I., Simon de Faversham, chancellor of the 
University of Oxford in 1304, Thomas de Faversham, honourably 
mentioned in a charter of Edward II., Richard de Faversham, Lord 
of Graveney in the thirteenth century, and Stephen de Faversham, 
first monk of Christ Church, Canterbury, in 1324. Henry Page, of 
Faversham, was commander-in-chief of the navy in the reign of 
Henry IV. He took 120 French ships laden with treasure, died 
in the 13th year of Henry IV., and was buried in Faversham 
Church. 

Sir George Sondes was created Earl of Faversham in 1676. He 
died in 1678, and was succeeded by Lord Duras, his son-in-law, 
who was a knight of the garter, and general of the King's army ; 
from his death in 1709 until 1719 the title was in abeyance, in 
which year Erengard Melusina Schuylenberg, Duchess of Munster, 
was created Countess of Faversham ; Anthony Duncombe suc- 
ceeded to the title of Earl of Faversham in 1763, but, dying without 
an heir, the earldom became extinct. 

The manor of Faversham was the property of the Crown until 
the reign of Stephen, who conferred it on William de Ipre, Earl of 



FAVERSHAM. 139 

Kent in 1141, in reward for his eminent services. In 1147 the 
King exchanged this manor for that of Lillechurch, having re- 
solved with his queen, Matilda, to found an abbey here; this 
monastery was built at a short distance from the town, and dedi- 
cated to St. Saviour, when they appointed Clarembald, prior of 
Bermondsey, abbot, and gave the manor of Faversham in per- 
petuity for its maintenance. Clarembald received his benedic- 
tion as Abbot of Faversham from Archbishop Theobald at the 
high altar of Canterbury, November 11, 1147, in the presence 
of Queen Matilda and the Bishops of Worcester, Bath, Exeter, and 
Chichester. Queen Matilda died in 1151, and was buried in the 
church attached to the abbey; her eldest son, Eustace, was buried 
near his mother, and King Stephen also in 1154. The only 
vestige of the abbey remaining is the boundary wall, now enclosing 
the orchard of Abbey Farm. When the church of the monastery 
was taken down, it is asserted that the bodies of King Stephen, his 
queen, and their son, were taken out of their coffins for the value of 
the lead and thrown into the creek ; this, however, the inhabitants 
deny, believing that the bodies were re-interred in the parish 
church, although without any record of the particular spot. 

Many crowned heads have visited Faversham ; Mary, widow of 
Louis XII. of France, sister of Henry VIII., sojourned here in 
1515, when the expense of entertainment, according to the cham- 
berlain's account, was 7s. 4d. Henry VIII. and Queen Catherine 
visited Faversham in 1519, and the King twice afterwards; on the 
last occasion he was presented with two dozen capons, two dozen 
chickens, and a sieve of cherries, which cost £l 15s. 4c?. King 
Philip and Queen Mary passed through the town in 1557. Queen 
Elizabeth slept two nights at Faversham in 1573, and King 
Charles II. dined with the Mayor on his restoration in 1660. The 
visit of James II. in 1688 was far less gratifying; the King 
having attempted to escape in a vessel lying at Shellness, after the 
landing of the Prince of Orange, was captured by Faversham boat- 
men, who, after taking away his cash and watch, imprisoned him 
at the ' Queen's Arms ' inn, from whence he was removed to the 
residence of the Mayor. 

The town of Faversham, within the limits of the Cinque Ports, 
is situated close to the creek which runs to the Swale. The prin- 
cipal streets form an irregular cross. Court or Abbey Street, which 
is broad and handsome, leads to the site of St. Saviour's Abbey. 
The leading inns are the •' Ship ' and * Railway Arms.' In East 
Street, near the * Ship/ are some curious old wooden houses. 

Queen Elizabeth founded a grammar school, which she ordered 
to be called The Free Grammar School of Elizabeth, Queen of 
England, in Faversham. It contains a good library, and has been 
enriched by sundry gifts. Two charity schools for clothing and 
instructing boys and girls were established here in 1716. 



140 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

The oyster fishery is an important means of support, and general 
benefit to the town, as affording employment to large numbers. 
Hasted states that in his time upwards of one hundred families 
were maintained from this source alone. 

The church, dedicated to the ' Assumption of our Lady of 
Faversham/ is a large early English structure, built cruciform, of 
flints, with quoins of stone. Previous to 1755, it had a large 
square castellated tower rising from the centre, since taken down. 
The tower at the west end, which is low, is now surmounted by a 
steeple some seventy feet high, erected in 1794 out of a bequest of 
£1,000 from a wealthy inhabitant, and £500 given by the Corpora- 
tion. As early as 1440 there were five bells in the tower, aug- 
mented to six in 1459 : in 1749 they were re-cast into a peal of 
eight bells. Behind the tower is a strong timbered chamber, 
formerly called the tresory (treasury), the depository for sacramental 
plate and other treasures. In 1533 an inhabitant left, under his 
will, a bequest for the building of a new jewel-house, at the discre- 
tion of the Mayor for the time being. Judging from the archi- 
tecture and other existing details, the church was probably 
erected towards the close of the reign of Edward I.: this is further 
established by the finding of a silver penny of that reign under the 
base of one of the piers that supported the centre tower. 

In 1745 Mr. George Dance, an eminent architect of London, 
restored the interior, when an organ was erected at a cost of £400 ; 
within a few years, however, it has been wholly restored by our 
famous ecclesiastical architect, Mr. G. Scott, and now stands a 
grand monumental witness of the architectural taste of the early 
fathers. The transepts are separated into three aisles by double 
rows of fine columns ; the frescoes, early English, on the first 
pillar, east side, which for many ages had been hidden by white- 
wash, have been brought out with surprising effect ; they illustrate 
a series of chronological events in the life of our Saviour. The 
old font has been superseded by one of alabaster, of beautiful 
design. There are three sedilia and a piscina in the chancel, and 
the original stalls of the brethren of the abbey, on one of which is 
carved a fox with three stolen chickens ; the east window is filled 
with stained glass. The oldest brass, dated 1448, is to the memory 
of William Thornbury, vicar of Faversham; another for Henry 
Hatch, who died in 1533 ; a monument, with a figure kneeling, 
dated 1614, for Thomas Mendfield ; another for Thomas Southouse, 
1558 ; and a memento to the memory of John Fagg, 1508 ; besides 
numerous others recorded in Weevers Monuments ; a tomb under 
a decorated canopy is pointed out as that of King Stephen, but 
there is nothing identical. Anciently there were two chapels in 
the principal chancel, dedicated to the ' Holy Trinity ' and ' St. 
Thomas the Apostle/ distinct of several altars in the aisles, as well 
as in the chancels. 



FAVERSHAM. 141 

The living is a vicarage, valued at £342 per annum, belonging to 
the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury. The Rev. C. Collins, M. A., 
succeeded to the incumbency in 1847. 



EECULVEE. 

Keculver is full of interest to every lover of early English 
history. The Romans called it Regulbium, the Saxons Raculf, and 
afterwards Raculf-cester. The Romans erected a fort and a watch- 
tower, which were said to have been built by the Emperor Severus 
a.d. 205, where the first cohort of the Vestasians was garrisoned in 
the fifth century. Of this famous old fort much of the mouldering 
east and south walls remain, overgrown with ivy and wild herbage 
in luxurious profusion. 

We gather from Hasted that the fort covered an area of eight 
acres, forming a square rounded at the corners ; that the north wall, 
from the inroads of the sea, had fallen on the shore with quantities 
of coin released from its foundation. These Roman coins included 
the consular Denarii, and others of nearly all the emperors from 
Julius Csesar to Honorius, which are proofs that the Romans had 
very early a settlement here. Some of the brass coins of Tiberius 
and Nero were as fresh as if just struck. British coin had also been 
found, made of electrum (three parts of brass to one of gold), as 
well as small silver pieces of the size of an English twopence, 
stamped with rude heads, Christian crosses, and strange characters, 
and Saxon coins with the names of Edperd, Eadlard, Edelbred, and 
Ludred. 

Leland, who wrote in the reign of Henry VIIL, tells us that the 
fort was then full a quarter of a mile from the sea, whereas now 
the sea has reached it, and continues to gain upon the land between 
this and the North Foreland. The falling of the cliff from these 
inroads has at various times exposed the foundations of Roman 
buildings, water-cisterns, fragments of urns, pottery, brass and 
silver utensils, and from the frequent discovery at low tides of pieces 
of domestic articles, the assumption is warranted that the ancient 
town of Roman times has been submerged for ages, and probably 
extended, as Hasted intimates, some distance into the sea, even as 
far as the Black Rock. 

Pursuing these reflections, we are carried back nineteen hundred 
and eighteen years, to the landing of Julius Csesar, who could not 
have failed, as an experienced general, of seeing the necessity for 
fortifying this arm of the sea, leading to the mouths of the Thames 
and Medway, navigable for the largest vessels of those days ; and 
as the eminences at each extremity of that estuary were specially 



142 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

adapted for such purposes, camps would be marked out, afterwards 
secured by walls, the first grand works of the Romans in Britain ; 
to be followed by those mighty strongholds, Reculver and Rich- 
borough, whose walls, measuring from nine to twelve feet in thick- 
ness, are so remarkable for firmness of cohesion, that huge masses 
of those at Reculver, weighing many tons, having fallen on the 
beach, long defied the powers of ocean to detach the materials from 
their adhesion to each other. 

After King Ethelbert's conversion to Christianity in 597 he gave 
his palace at Canterbury to Augustine as a residence for himself 
and the priesthood, and built another at Reculver, within the area 
of the Roman walls, where he resided until his death in 616. 

An Augustine monastery was established here early in the 
seventh century; the precise date, however, is unknown. A manu- 
script in the Bodleian library records a grant of lands from Lothair, 
King of Kent, to the monastery at Reculver, a.d. 679. Egbert II. 
in 747 bestowed certain tolls, and subsequent kings of Kent 
enriched it with benefactions of land. The monastery and manor, 
with its church, were given to Christ Church, Canterbury, a.d. 949. 
Bishop Tanner supposed the abbots and monks were removed on 
the annexation, from which cause, and the termination of the regal 
dignity of Kent, Reculver appears to have gradually diminished in 
importance. In the eleventh century the sea began rapidly to 
encroach, and about the same time the water of the estuary to de- 
cline, thereby destroying its navigability, and with it a source of 
considerable profit. 

Considering the extent of the fortress of Reculver, covering eight 
acres, the massiveness of its walls, and that, after the Romans, a 
royal palace, a monastery, and an abbey church have severally 
been built within its area, Mr. Boys, the learned topographer, is at 
a loss to 'account for the absence of the ruined materials, which at 
Richborough, though thrown down, remain in huge masses on the 
spot. Hasted, however, very fairly assumes that, after the Romans 
had left, the inhabitants applied the materials to building in their 
town, which must have been of considerable extent, although sub- 
sequently covered by the sea. ^ 

Reculver Minster continued a church of considerable importance, 
under the governance of a Dean, down to the fourteenth century, 
and stood in the centre of the fortress walls. We cull from reliable 
authorities the following description of this time-honoured temple, 
afterwards called The Church of the Two Sisters. From which- 
ever point of view contemplated, whether land or sea, near or 
distant, it was a beautiful object of vision, imposing and picturesque 
in the highest degree from its peculiarity of structure, twin spires, 
and elevated proximity to the sea ; its extreme length from west to 
east was 120 feet, breadth of west front 64 feet, height of the towers 
63 feet, and total height to the summit of the spires 106 feet; the 



RECULVER. 143 

principal entrance was from the west, through a highly ornamented 
doorway of Caen stone, with Saxon mouldings ; the wail rising 
between the towers to an apex had a rose window and two others 
beneath. 

The quoins were of squared stones ; the rest of the walls were of 
flints and pebbles, mixed with Koman bricks; the towers square and 
broad, with a spiral staircase in the southern tower leading to the 
balconies. In one of the spires were four bells, and on the top of 
the other a representation of the Crucifixion, to which passing 
vessels lowered their colours. The north entrance was under a 
circular Saxon arch ornamented; the arches of the windows, 
passages, and doors were of mixed architecture, some rounded in 
the Saxon style, others pointed Norman, and a few had the trefoil 
form. In every part of the structure these two styles prevailed ; the 
Saxon known by its round arches, round or square pillars, zigzag 
mouldings, and the absence of buttresses ; the Norman by pointed 
arches, slender and clustered columns, and strong buttresses. Thus 
the nave pillars were square (Saxon), supporting pointed arches 
(Norman), whilst three Saxon circular arches, supported by round 
pillars, formed the entrance to the chancel. The floor of the 
church was of cement, four inches thick, of beautiful smooth red 
surface and extreme hardness, mixed with figured tiles. There were 
a nave and aisles, but no transept ; at the extremity of each aisle 
was a chapel or chantry ; that on the south side was said to contain 
the sepulchre of King Ethelbert Weever states that he saw a 
monument of antique form, mounted with two spires, in which, as 
tradition says, the royal corpse was deposited. 

This church must have retained some of its former magnificence as 
late as Leland, for he tells us that at the entrance to the chancel was one 
of the fairest and most stately crosses, nine feet in height, standing like 
a fair column ; its base was a large unwr ought stone, above which the 
column was round and richly carved, terminating with a cross. He 
further describes a very ancient copy of the Gospels being in the 
church, written in large Roman letters, upon the boarded cover of 
which was a large crystal stone engraved Claudia Arepiccus. 

To the two towers, called The Sisters, which for centuries have 
been a land-mark for mariners, a traditional tale attaches : Frances 
Saint Clair, lady-abbess of a convent near Faversham, while 
suffering from illness supposed to be mortal, vowed that in the event 
of her recovery she would visit the shrine of the Blessed Virgin at 
Bradstow (Broadstairs), with a costly offering for the Virgin's 
intercession : on her recovery, in fulfilment of that vow, she, with 
her sister Isabel, embarked on a Faversham passenger vessel the 
3rd of May (about the year 1499), when a violent storm arose, 
which wrecked the vessel on a sand-bank called the * Horse,' near 
Reculver. The abbess, with some of the passengers, crowded 
the boat, which bore them safely to the shore. Her sister Isabel 



144 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

remained on the wreck, which could not be approached for fou 
hours, when the remainder were rescued, after great suffering fror 
cold; buf Isabel died the following day, to the overwhelming grit 
of the abbess, who, to perpetuate her memory, as well as to consti 
tute a sea-mark for mariners, caused the decayed towers of th 
ancient church to be repaired, and two lofty spires to be addec 
which she directed to be called The Sisters. The towers are a 
that now remain of this ancient monastic church ; and the churcl 
yard, which was entire within walls in 1805, having a broa 
carriage-way between it and the cliff, is now bared to the sea, th 
outer wall being washed down with the cliff, exposing huma 
remains embedded in the earth, many of which are strewed upo 
the beach. 

The present parish church, dedicated to St. Mary, was built i 
1811 on rising ground not far from the castle, with materials froi 
the Abbey Church of the Two Sisters. During the removal < 
those materials, the workmen were instructed to search in a cei 
tain spot for the remains of King Ethelbert. Leaving their worl 
as was customary, for a short time, the wall gave way in th 
interval, and from some unknown recess had fallen antique ston 
figures of the twelve Apostles, and a lion, the whole being richl 
ornamented with thin plates of gold. The old church abounde 
with monuments, some of which were removed to the new church 
one of these, all but illegible, bears the following curious inscrir. 
tion :— 

Here, as Historiographers have saide, 

St. Ethelbert of Kent whilome King was laid ; 

Whom St. Augustine with the Gospel entertained, 

And in this land has ever since remained. 

Who, though by cruel Pagans he was slain, 

The crown of Martyrdom he did obtain. 

Who died February 24th in the year 616. 

Amongst the relics preserved in the new church are three ex 
ceedingly ancient carvings in stone — one especially, representin 
three human figures performing some religious rite ; they presen 
very much the appearance of Roman remains, but, being unfortu 
nately placed high on the wall, are too far removed to allow c 
minute examination. The living is a vicarage, in the gift of th 
Archbishop of Canterbury, valued at £198 per annum. The Rev 
G. W. D. Evans has held the incumbency since the year 1832. 



145 



THE ISLE OF THANET. 



This historic island, situated at the north-east point of the county 
of Kent, takes it name from the Saxon word Tenet, and was in 
remote times insulated by the Stour, then called the Wantsume, a 
bold and navigable channel of some eighteen feet broad, but now a 
puny stream scarcely dividing the rich pasture land through which 
it meanders. 

Augustine and his forty monks debarked at Ebbe's Fleet on this 
island, a.d. 507 ; the rock on which the former landed was pre- 
served through ages with superstitious veneration, from being sup- 
posed to bear his foot-print. 

The island forms an elongated oval, nine miles from east to west, 
and five from north to south, computed to contain about forty- one 
square miles, or a little less than 27,000 acres of fertile land ; 
anciently there was much woodland, long since grubbed up and 
converted into tillage. During the Danish incursions the natives 
retired to the woods to secure themselves and families. A small 
intrenchment may be traced at Chesmunds, and several caves have 
been discovered under ground, where, doubtless, the harassed in- 
habitants sought shelter. Some of these caves or caverns are 
extensive and deep: one especially, discovered in 1780, consisted 
of seven rooms- varying from twelve to thirty-six feet square, each 
communicating by arched avenues ; some of the larger rooms have 
conical domes thirty feet high, supported by immense chalk 
columns. The descent to these caves is by rude steps, leading to 
a passage fifty feet in length, opening on to the apartments, which 
extend one hundred and ten feet in a direct line; the bottom is 
of a fine dry sand, whilst the sides and roof are rocks of chalk. 
Here is a well of excellent water, twenty-seven feet deep, and one 
hundred and seventy feet beneath the surface of the earth. The 
date of these excavations cannot be known, but history records the 
fact that in the reign of King Sigeburt, who came to the throne in 
the year 648, the Danes used to visit the island almost every year, 
during which they committed horrid depredations ; it is therefore 
probable that, within the seventh century, these caverns were 
excavated as hiding places from these marauders. 

The ancient Britons inhabited this island, of. which many 

L 



146 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

evidences have been found in cash, amulets of gold, electrum, and 
brass, and in digging of wells, varieties of primitive tools. Then 
succeeded the Roman dynasty. Numbers of their coins were found 
under the cliffs near Broadstairs (the ancient Bradstow), amongst 
them one of the Emperor Constantine, and another in silver of 
Domitian, exclusive of large quantities in parcels. It does not ap- 
pear that any Saxon coins were found here, although Hengist and 
Horsa landed at Hepesflete (Ebbe's Fleet) with fifteen hundred 
men in the year 449, and was possessed of the Isle of Thanet in 
return for his assistance to King Vortigern. 

The chalk cliffs are rather elevated on the north and east, and 
between Margate and Pegwell Bay, firm and durable, although after 
stormy weather masses have fallen, in which have been found large 
pieces of amber. Amongst the causes that render the Isle of 
Thanet a popular resort in the season are, the salubrity of the air 
and the dryness of soil. With the exception of the marshes, the 
face of the country is very beautiful in hill and vale.. Luxuriant corn 
stretches on every side, interspersed with hamlets, and cottages 
mostly built of chalk, which give a charming diversity, whilst 
the broad sands and grand expanse of sea completes a gorgeous 
whole. 

The agriculturists of this island have been long famous for good 
farming ; their products generally are remarkable for quality and 
weight, wheat and barley especially, which command superior 
prices. London seedsmen deal largely with them for seeds of all the 
esculent plants, as having a preference in the market. 

The sea has made considerable inroads since the Conquest. 
Thousands of acres to the north and east, now submerged, were 
anciently dry land. At low water mark rocks or footings of the 
chalk cliffs are visible nearly three quarters of a mile from the ex- 
isting shore, once high and dry on the coast ; then again, on the 
south and west sides of the island, hundreds of acres now dry and 
under cultivation were in remote times covered by the sea, and 
formed a navigable stream, on the marge of which, at Ebbe's 
Fleet and Stonar, stood the water-mills of the Abbot of St. 
Augustine. 

The surface of the country is level, with but few pastures. House- 
hold herbs of superior flavour grow luxuriously, fennel grows natu- 
rally in the hedges, rosemary attains several feet in height. Mr. 
Lewis observes that in 1723 he had two hedges seventeen yards long 
and five feet high. The honey collected on the Isle of Thanet is 
remarkable for excellence of quality, and has a high value in the 
markets of the metropolis. This superiority is attributable to the 
quantities of thyme, marjoram, and that class of herbs growing on 
the island of which bees are extremely fond. 

As population increased forests diminished, until very little 
woodland remains. There are some tolerable elms about Minster, 



ISLE OF THANET. 147 

and sycamores nearer to the sea. The oak does not thrive, the soil 
and situation being inimical to its habits. The roads throughout 
the island are excellent, which renders excursions exceedingly plea- 
sant. From the scarcity of enclosures, however, there is but little 
game for the amusement of sportsmen beyond a few hares, rabbits, 
and partridges, but no pheasants, although wild fowl surround its 
shores during the winter. 

It has been frequently remarked that the humbler inhabitants 
were equally skilled in holding the helm and the plough. Camden 
described them as both fisher and husbandmen. According to the 
season of the year they catch fish, perform voyages, export mer- 
chandise, manure the land, plough, harrow, reap, and store the corn. 

With respect to the existing state of the middle classes, those of 
Margate, St. Peter's, Broadstairs, and Ramsgate depend largely on 
the resort of company thither during the summer months ; the rest 
are for the most part farmers, who, being persons in easy circum- 
stances, live in a free and hospitable manner, and have the credit 
of being very courteous to strangers. 



BIKCHINGTON. 

Birchington adjoins the sea. It was formerly called Birchington 
in Gorend, and at other times Gorend in Birchington, from a place 
so called, where the parish church is said to have anciently stood. 
It contains 2,070 acres, including water, 188 houses, and 813 in- 
habitants, and is bounded by lofty chalk cliffs. This parish is 
within the jurisdiction of the Cinque Ports, and is a member of the 
Port of Dover. The village, which is lighted with gas, stands 
towards the'centre, and the church contiguous, sheltered by some 
lofty elms. The houses being on a gentle acclivity command 
beautiful scenery, and a superb view of the vale of Canterbury ; 
and, though twelve miles distant, the tower of the cathedral stands 
out most eonspicuously. The main road from Sarre to Margate is 
on the southern side of the parish, and next the shore Hemming' s 
Bay, so named from the Danish commander who was supposed to 
have landed at that point in 1009. 

The manor of Quekes (or Quex, as sometimes written in ancient 
deeds,) stands south-east, about three quarters of a mile from the 
church. In 1650 this manor was in the possession of Henry 
Crispe, sheriff of the county, who was forcibly carried prisoner to 
France, and there detained until he paid £3,000 as his ransom. 
William III. was an occasional visitor at the manor house, which 
was a noble timber and brick edifice: it has however been largely 
rebuilt, having two towers, one containing a good peal of bells. 

L2 



148 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

These towers have a picturesque effect, and may be seen at a con- 
siderable distance. The room, or rather the bedchamber, of 
William III. is still shown. 

The ancient church, dedicated to All Saints, which is now 
undergoing thorough restoration, stands on high ground, with a 
nave of six bays, two aisles, and three chancels. The north chancel 
belongs to the manor of Quekes, and contains many family monu- 
ments and the remains of a fresco painting. The south chancel 
has been converted into a vestry. Formerly the windows were 
filled with stained glass, of which few vestiges remain. There 
were also, anterior to the Reformation, several altars dedicated to 
different saints distinct of the high altar. Amongst the monu- 
mental brasses are those of Richard Juex (perhaps another spell- 
ing for Quex), 1449, Richard Juex, 1459, Margaret Crispe, 1508, 
and John Heynes, 1523. The tower stands at the north-east 
corner, surmounted by a spire covered with shingle. Birchington 
is a chapelry to the church of Monkton, in the gift of the Arch- 
bishop of Canterbury. 



ST. NICHOLAS-AT-WADE. 

This parish has an area of 5,660 acres, 133 houses, and 590 in- 
habitants. It is so called from its situation, ad vandum, near a 
wading place or ford across the ancient Wantsume. 

The village and church stand high. Westward it presents a 
level marsh, bounded by the Nethergong, whilst northward it 
is washed by the sea. Shoart is an estate about a mile north-east 
of the village, near which is the little borough of All Saints, where 
once stood a church, of which no vestige remains, it being now 
united to St. Nicholas. 

The church of St. Nicholas is ancient, probably built towards the 
close of the thirteenth century. It is a noble structure of flint and 
Roman bricks ; the windows, doorways, and quoins are of stone; a 
square tower rises at the west end. There is a nave, two aisles, 
transepts, and double chancels, the north chancel being lay pro- 
perty. Formerly the south transept was a chapel dedicated to St. 
Thomas the Martyr, wherein was his effigy. Two early English 
arches lead to the north chancel : the font is also early English, 
the windows and tower Decorated. Three beautiful Norman arches 
divide the nave from the south aisle. This church has been faith- 
fully preserved, with little departure from its original integrity. It 
is a small living of £161 per annum, in the patronage of the Arch- 
bishop of Canterbury. The Rev. H. Bennet, vicar, was appointed 
in 1859. 



149 



• SAREE, 

Anciently written Serre and St. Giles at Serre, is a small village 
containing 43 houses, 169 inhabitants, and 653 acres of land. It 
appears formerly to have been more populous when the passage 
between Northmouth and Richborough was navigable, with a com- 
modious haven for vessels. Then it was considered healthful as 
well as pleasant, but 6*h the decrease of the waters, the marsh lands, 
before covered by the sea, generated fogs and vapours, and soon 
rendered this district unhealthful, which accounts for the diminished 
population. 

The parish church of Sarre, dedicated to St. Giles, stood on a 
hill, but from the loss of the inhabitants the parish was united to 
St. Nicholas, when the church was abandoned, and rapidly decayed. 



MONKTON. 

Monkton, the next parish to St Nicholas, although covering 2,364 
acres, has but 374 inhabitants, and 87 dwelling houses. Its name 
has been variously written. Domesday gives it Monocstune, meaning 
Monks-town, as belonging to the monks of Christ Church, Canter- 
bury, granted them by Queen Ediva in 961. The village stands 
low, with the church by the side. 

Monkton Church, dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene, is ancient, 
but small, with a nave, chancel, and a square tower, four bells, and 
a very primitive wooden staircase. Formerly there were two 
aisles, the arches of which still exist in the outer walls : some re- 
mains of stained glass with antique armorial bearings, and the 
heads of early priors, adorn the windows. There are few monu- 
mental remains. A brass dated 1450, to the memory of a priest, is 
interesting. The living, a vicarage in the gift of the Archbishop 
of Canterbury, is valued at £672 per annum, to which, however, 
must be added the chapelries of Birchington and Acol, as included 
in the stipend. The Rev. R. P. Whish, M.A., prebend of Wells, 
has held the living since 1832. 



•+0+- 



150 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 



DANDELION, 

Anciently written Daundeleon and Daundolyonn, is a large estate 
in the parish of St. John's, in the possession of a noble family of 
that name as early as Edward I. John Daundeleon, who resided 
here in the reign of Henry IV., gave a Flemish bell to St. John's 
Church, thus inscribed * Daundeleon I.H.S. Trlnitati sacra, sit hac 
campana beata.' 

Although the old baronial hall has been^wept away, still the 
gateway remains in tolerable preservation, and is an interesting 
relic of the days of bows and arrows. It is built of brick and flints 
in alternate rows, loop-holed, with a spiral staircase leading to the 
embattled summit. Over the gate, on the centre of the cornice, are 
the family arms. An interesting discovery was made in 1703 
under the side of the gate entrance, when a small room was ex- 
posed containing funeral urns of pottery and glass, supposed to be 
Roman, and on the opposite side a sort of well prison. 



MAEGATE. 

Margate, 19 miles by rail from Canterbury, and 101 from London, 
extends over 4,572 acres of land, and has 2,194 houses, and 10,019 
inhabitants. In the reign of Elizabeth, Margate, then 3Ieregate, 
was a poor fishing village, consisting of 107 mean old houses irre- 
gularly built. It, however, had some reputation in the coasting 
trade, for according to the maritime survey made at that time 
(8th year of Elizabeth), they had fifteen vessels, ranging from 
one to eighteen tons burthen, with sixty seamen, largely employed 
in the carrying of grain. 

The bay is famous for bathing, with a fine clean sand of gentle 
descent, from which the sea ebbs nearly half a mile at low water. 
The east and west sides being defended by rocks, the swell and surf 
seem to slumber between them, although directly open to the 
northern sea, with a run of 1,380 miles, north half east before land 
could again be reached, which would be the coast of Greenland. 

The passage from England to Holland being the shortest from 
Margate, many distinguished personages have landed and embarked 
here. William III. on his way to and from Holland ; George I. 
twice landed here ; Caroline, Queen of George II. ; the great Duke 
of Marlborough after his campaigns : the late Duke of York sailed 
from and disembarked here in 1793; and the famous Admiral 
Duncan landed here after his great victory in 179S. 



MARGATE. 151 

The stone pier, designed in part by Rennie, and built between 
the years 1810-15, at a cost of £60,000, is about 900 feet in length 
and 60 broad, with an elevated promenade 18 feet in width, lighted 
with gas, much frequented in the season. The lighthouse which 
stands at the extremity was built from a design by Mr. Edmunds 
in 1829, at a cost of £800. The old wooden jetty has been super- 
seded by an iron landing-place above 1,200 feet in length. 

The Town Hall, of Tuscan architecture, built in 1820, is a hand- 
some building of goodly proportions. The interior arrangements 
are well suited for their purpose. A few portraits of Margate 
celebrities adorn the walls. There is also a good bust of Sir 
Thomas Staines : this structure cost £4,000. 

The Royal Sea Bathing Infirmary, supported by voluntary con- 
tributions, commends itself to all classes of visitors. The first 
stone of this institution was laid in 1792, at Westbrook, in that 
part of the town called Buenos Ayres, and opened in 1795. The 
reports of revolving seasons abundantly testify of its value. It 
has been enlarged to the extent of two hundred beds, and it is 
further contemplated to make a large addition to the building for 
the reception of one hundred children. 

Michael Yorkley, a Quaker, founded in 1709 ten almshouses 
now called ' Draper's Hospital? one to be the residence of a Quaker 
as overseer, the others for aged widows, who are supplied with 
warm clothing, firing, and a weekly allowance according to the 
funds, which being scarcely sufficient for their maintenance, the 
recipients sell trifling fancy articles to visitors, and are permitted 
to receive tea parties during the season. To the honour of the 
philanthropic Quaker, he humanely willed that the deserving of any 
sect were eligible for election. 

In the year 1787 the Charity Schools were founded, when a suit- 
able building -was erected near Hawley Square. The children, 
then sixty in number of both sexes, since considerably augmented, 
are clothed and educated at the voluntary cost of the inhabitants, 
aided by the contributions of visitors. A curious discovery was 
made in 1791 by some workmen, while digging the foundations for 
three houses behind these premises. Deep in the chalk they 
reached several graves containing human remains, which, although 
perfect skeletons, speedily crumbled to dust on exposure. In one 
grave was a coin of the Emperor Probus, and in another one of 
Maximianus. Near the same spot a Roman urn, containing ashes, 
was dug up the following year. 

The theatre in Princes Street, Hawley Square, is a neat brick 
building, erected in 1787 at a cost of £4,000; during the season 
good performers from the metropolitan theatres give excellent en- 
tertainments to crowded audiences. The assembly rooms in 
Cecil Square command considerable patronage from the superiority 
of entertainments during the season. The evening concerts are 



152 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

supported by good talent, and the balls conducted with due regard 
to the respectability of visitors. The building presents a noble ap- 
pearance, with a bold facade, supported by pillars; the principal 
room is lofty, and measures one hundred feet by fifty feet, the 
orchestra being placed at the western end. There is no dearth of 
amusement at Margate to suit every taste in bazaars, libraries, and 
news-rooms ; the Tivoli gardens, which are laid out effectively, are 
much frequented for dancing, with the adjuncts of singing and fire- 
works ; then, again, the lovely rides and walks for the health 
seeker, the unrivalled facilities for bathing in the sea or at any of 
the well-appointed establishments, with a superb sand and bracing 
saline air, so delectable for the convalescent. Marine Terrace and 
the Fort, furnished with plenty of seats, are the popular prome- 
nades, enlivened on the upper pier with good instrumental music 
every evening. Cecil Square was built to meet the necessity for 
handsome houses, at a cost of £8,000 ; these dwellings are large and 
commodious. Since then, however, building has progressed to a 
surprising extent ; first-class houses are numerous, even for families 
of distinction, of which fact the Royal Crescent is a good illustra- 
tion. Lodging houses are abundant, and generally speaking well 
suited for temporary residents ; visitors, however, preferring an 
hotel have a good variety to select from. The town is well lighted 
and paved under an Act granted in 1813, maintained by a rate 
chargeable on the householders. The municipal authorities consist 
of a mayor, four aldermen, and a council of twelve. 

Distinct of the churches of St. John and Trinity, which we shall 
describe anon, and St. John's Hall, in Cecil Street, licensed by the 
Archbishop of Canterbury as a chapel of ease to the mother church, 
are several chapels belonging to Dissenters. The "Wesleyan Metho- 
dists have a chapel in Hawley Square ; Ebenezer Chapel (Baptist), 
New Cross Street; Zion Chapel (Lady Huntingdon's), Addmgton 
Square ; New Congregational Church, a handsome modern building, 
Union Street; Roman Catholic Church, Prince's Crescent ; Friends' 
Meeting House, on the road to St. Peters ; Plymouth Brethren, 
Hawley Square. 

The cemetery, near to Marsh Court, on the road leading from 
Margate to Minster, comprises eight acres of land, very beautifully 
laid out by the late Mr. Cormack, a man of great botanical skill ; 
Sir Joseph Paxton was one of his earliest pupils. 

The venerable parish church, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, 
stands on a knoll, about half a mile from the pier ; though low, it 
is of considerable length, built of flint, with ashlar stone quoins, 
windows, and doorways. It has a nave, north and south aisles, and 
three chancels ; the aisles are separated from the nave by pillars and 
arches of mixed architecture ; one of the chancels is dedicated to 
St. James. The square tower, surmounted by a short spire, stands 
at the north-west corner, and contains a peal of eight bells, with a 



MARGATE. 153 

good clock. The church underwent considerable repairs in 1808, 
but in the year 1845 it was restored and beautified, when the east 
and west windows were renovated, some being filled with painted 
glass, a new altar-piece erected, and (worst of all) the centre aisle 
refitted Mvith pews. The richly carved font, which is very interest- 
ing, dates from the time of Henry VII. The organ was the gift of 
the late Francis Cobb, Esq. 

There are some very ancient brasses and monuments in this 
church : amongst the brasses is one to the memory of Thomas 
Smith, dated 1433; others for Nicholas Canteys, 1431; Richard 
Notfield, 1446; Thomas Cardiff, 1515; Luke Spraklyn, 1591; a 
brass, graven to represent a ship in full sail, for Roger Morris, 1615 ; 
and in the chancel another, beautifully portraying a knight in 
plate armour, for Sir John Dandelion, obiit 1445. Most of the 
ancient families resident in the parish were buried in the church, 
evidenced by the numerous monuments and tablets still existing 
bearing the names of Crisp, Cleve, Cleybrooke, Norwood, and 
others. 

St. John's Church is supposed to date from the middle of the 
eleventh century, and was until 1200 one of three chapels on this 
island belonging to Minster, when it was made the parish church. 
The living is a vicarage in the patronage of the Archbishop of 
Canterbury, with a stipend valued at £681 per annum; the Rev. 
C. S. Astley, M.A., has been the incumbent since 1854. 

Trinity Church, which was erected between the years 1825 and 
1829, is built of brick, cased with stone. The elegant tower is 135 
feet high, and from its elevation maybe seen at very distant points ; 
the exterior is effective in decoration and carved stone, forming 
buttresses, pinnacles, and finials ; not less so, however, is the in- 
terior, with a lofty nave, and north and south aisles elaborately 
groined. The windows are filled with stained glass ; the east win- 
dow, some thirty feet in height, is especially effective from the 
varied hues permeating. A vaulted arch, covered with beautiful 
tracery, forms a recess for the communion table. The organ, which 
represents a shrine, stands in a recess at the west end, where is an 
elaborately carved stone screen, with pierced arches, buttresses, and 
pinnacles. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the gift of the vicar 
of St. John's, valued at £221 per annum, to which the Rev. S. 
Prosser was presented in the year 1846. 



154 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 



KINGSGATE. 

This is a romantic spot in a_yalley near the northern shore of the 
sea, formerly called Bartholomew's Gate, but after the landing of 
Charles II., with his brother the Duke of York, in the year 1683, it 
was changed to Kingsgate, in commemoration of that event. The 
embattled gate, with frowning portcullis, of which little remains, 
was built in a breach of the cliff, on the eastern side of which was 
graven, * God bless Barth'lems Gate? In remote times there was a 
strong fortress, with massive towers, supposed to be Roman, from 
the discovery of an earthen vessel under one of the foundations 
filled with Roman coins. 

Tradition points to Kingsgate as the spot where the great battle 
between the Danes and Saxons was fought in 853. Tumuli were 
opened here in 1745 and 1765, discovering numerous graves dug 
out of the chalk, covered with flat stones; these contained human 
remains, the bones large and perfectly sound, but speedily crumbling 
to dust after exposure to the air ; some urns, made of coarse pottery, 
were found at the same time. Over the largest of these tumuli a 
rude gothic building was erected by Lord Holland. 

Kingsgate Castle, a mimic fortress, stands on the summit of a 
perpendicular cliff, which from the sea has a peculiar effect ; this 
castellated structure, overgrown with ivy, is of considerable eleva- 
tion, which renders it a picturesque object. It was built by Lord 
Holland for stables, in imitation o/ the style of castles erected in 
Wales, during the reign of Edward I. ; since then it has been con- 
verted into a residence. 

Whitfield Tower stands a short distance from the cliff, with a 
shaft of lofty altitude as a landmark ; it was built on the estate of 
a former proprietor, whose name it bears. Lord Holland bought 
this estate, and erected a mansion, on the model of Tully's Formian 
Villa, facing the sea, but sheltered by the cliff. The centre is of 
the Doric order, the wings of flint ; over the doorways are white 
marble slabs, sculptured. The saloon has an elegant ceiling, 
artistically painted by Bartoli and Richter, and supported by 
scagliola columns. 

Lord Holland displayed much freakish fancy in the erection of 
chalk and flint structures round this seat. Amongst others is a con- 
vent, in imitation of a Kentish nunnery, with the remains of a 
chapel and five cells, now forming residences for poor families ; 
also a mock fort, consisting of a round tower with a flag-staff, 
fortified out-work, and ditch ; this structure, called the Countess' 
Fort, designed for an ice-house, was never completed. At the 



KINGSGATE. 155 

upper end of the grounds is a column of Kilkenny marble, called 
the Countess' Pillar, with an inscription to the memory of the 
Countess of Hillsborough, who died in 1767. 



THE NOETH FOEELAND, 

So written to distinguish it from the South Foreland, between Deal 
and Dover, is a promontory at the north-eastern extremity of the 
county, and the supposed Cantium of Ptolemy; Roman seamen 
knew it as the Cantium Promontorium. 

A striking object here is the lighthouse, one of the most 
important on the British coasts, from its close proximity to the 
Goodwin sands. Sailors designate the North and South Foreland 
lights the long mark for going clear off the South and off the Good- 
win. Although there is every reason to suppose that from a very 
early date there was a light of some sort here, yet we have no 
particular record until the reign of Charles L, when, in 1636, Sir 
John Meldrum was licensed to erect and maintain lighthouses on 
the North and South Foreland, and empowered to receive from all 
English vessels passing one penny per ton, and from foreign ships 
two pence, out of which the state was to be paid £20 annually. 
This grant, which remained in private hands until early in the 
eighteenth century, was then conferred on Greenwich Hospital. 
In 1832, the Trinity brethren, in consideration of £8,300 paid by 
them to the Hospital, took possession of the Lighthouses, and ef- 
fected a reduction in the dues, and a re-arrangement of the entire 
system. 

The lighthouse erected on the North Foreland by Sir John 
Meldrum, built of timber, lath, and plaster, with a large glass 
lantern on the top, was destroyed by fire in 1683, after which a 
beacon was substituted ; but before the close of the same century a 
massive octagonal edifice of flint, two stories high, was constructed; 
on the summit was placed a capacious iron grate, exposed to the 
air, which, after sunset, exhibited a blazing coal fire. In 1732 it 
was enclosed, forming a lantern, the flame being maintained by 
bellows perpetually in motion during the night ; this expedient, 
said to be for the economising of coaJ, appears to have proved a 
failure, as numerous craft foundered on the Goodwin Sands through 
the light not being perceptible at sea. This fact led to the removal 
of the lantern, and the restoration of the former arrangement, 
whereby many like casualties were escaped. 

In the year 1793 the structure was thoroughly repaired and raised 
by two stories of substantial brick-work, making its present eleva- 
tion to the top of the lantern nearly one hundred feet. Patent 



156 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

lamps, with magnifying lenses, superseded coal fires ; these are 
placed in a room lined with copper, about ten feet diameter, around 
which is a gallery commanding sea and landscape of marvellous 
magnificence. The present arrangement of light is considered 
perfect, and so brilliant as to be seen in clear weather thirty miles 
distant. Visitors to the island are permitted to inspect this inte- 
resting object, and are kindly welcomed by the attendant, who 
explains the method of lighting, and obligingly affords any infor- 
mation required. 

Admiral Monk fought his great battle off the North Foreland in 
1666 ; the engagement lasted four days, the English with fifty-four 
sail, against a Dutch fleet of eighty. 



ST. PETER'S. 

The sweetly pretty village of St. Peter's stands on a pleasing emi- 
nence, and boasts many reputable inhabitants. The houses are 
neat ; many elegant seats and gay gardens adorn the vicinity, and 
the order everywhere displayed elicits admiration. Distinct of the 
village are several small hamlets scattered over the parish ; on the 
north is Sackett's Hill, so named after an ancient family, most of 
whom were buried in St. Peter's Church. Hackenden Down and 
the hamlet of Stone belonged to the Pawlyns, another ancient 
family. Near this spot stood in olden times a beacon to alarm the 
surrounding country upon occasions of invasion. 

The parish extends over 3,312 acres, with 686 houses, and 2,855 
inhabitants. The church, dedicated to St. Peter, stands upon rising 
ground, and although not large, has a very picturesque appearance ; 
this is a fine specimen of Gothic architecture, said to date from the 
twelfth century. Like most ancient churches, it is built of flint, 
with stone facings to the windows and doorways, the porch being 
more decorated, and the entrance under a mitred arch of wrought 
stone. The battled tower, with stone quoins and buttresses, is 
remarkable on account of a fissure on the east, and another on the 
west sides ; tradition asserts that the shock of an earthquake in 1580 
caused these rents, which extend from the top nearly to the bottom, 
and although subsequently filled up, may still be traced. St. Peter's 
has a nave, two aisles, and three chancels ; the middle chancel is 
spacious, indeed beautiful, the roof being in compartments, enriched 
with carved work. Formerly, exclusive of the high altar, were 
others dedicated to St. James, St. Mary of Pity, and St. Margaret. 
The font is of white marble. The interior has been restored through 
the exertions of the late vicar, the Rev. Sanderson Kobins. In the 



st. peter's. 157 

nave and chancels are several monuments, and in the church-yard 
tombs and memorials for many who once figured in this parish. 
The father of the great orator, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, was buried 
here ; a tablet to his memory was erected a few years since by a 
stranger to the neighbourhood, who caused an inscription to be 
graven on it, ending thus : — 

He who builds a church to God, and not to fame, 
Never inscribes the marble with his name. 

The church cemetery is supposed to be even of an earlier date than 
the church, for in 1831, whilst digging round an ancient tomb, an 
inscription was discovered to the memory of ' William Norwood, 
ddcxxii.' (a.d. 1122.) 

The living is a vicarage in the gift of the Archbishop of Canter- 
bury, valued at £560 per annum. ^ The Rev. C. F. Tarver, M.A., 
chaplain to the Queen and the Prince of Wales, succeeded to the 
incumbency in 1863. 



BROADSTAIRS. 

This town derives its name from the Saxon words Brad, stow, broad 
place, and although formerly a small village, has increased into a 
fashionable watering-place. There can be little doubt that the 
Romans resided in this neighbourhood, from the number of coins 
found after the falling of portions of the cliff, and that, at a later 
period, it was well fortified, of which evidences exist east and west 
of York Gate. An interesting relic of York Gate remains in good 
preservation, thanks to Lord Henniker, who repaired it at his own 
cost in 1795. According to the inscription over the arch, it was 
built by George Culmer, a.d. 1540, and although now merely a 
massive flint arch, was once defended by a portcullis and strong 
gates. There was a wooden pier at Broadstairs during the reign of 
Henry VIII., built by members of the Culmer family for the con- 
venience of the fishing trade, then forming the larger portion of the 
inhabitants. In 1667 it was nearly destroyed by a terrific storm, 
but restored" at the national expense, and again repaired in 1791 
under an Act of Parliament. The present pier, which has no 
architectural beauties, was built in 1809, after the total destruction 
of its precursor by tempest. 

We are told by Kilburne, an authority, however incredulous it 
may appear, that on a sand bank near this spot, called Fishness, a 
monstrous fish ran itself ashore in 1574, and died; its roarings 
were heard a mile distant as the tide receded, ? The length of this 
leviathan was sixty feet, the nether jaw opening twelve feet, allowing 
three men to stand in the opening. A man stood upright in the socket 



158 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

of the eye, and another crept into the nostril. The ribs measured four- 
teen, and the tongue fifteen feet : from the top of the back through was 
fourteen feet, while the liver loaded two carts.' Hasted also states that 
four monstrous whales were landed on this island in his time, one 
of which was sixty feet long and thirty-eight feet in circumference, 
with teeth two inches in length. 

East Cliff Lodge, between Broadstairs and Ramsgate, was the 
favourite marine residence of Caroline, Queen of George IV., when 
Princess of Wales ; it was built by Benjamin Hopkins, Esq., having 
extensive grounds very tastefully laid out. 

The remains of an ancient chapel dedicated to Our Lady of 
Bradstow still exists, where in olden times offerings of considerable 
value were made ; indeed, this chapel was held in such reverence 
by mariners that they saluted it on passing, and after storms would 
land and make costly presents to propitiate their patron saint. Some 
of the walls and windows of this chantry now form portions of a 
Baptist Chapel, as well as a dwelling house. 

Broadstairs is patronised by visitors preferring calm and quiet to 
noise and excitement, for here we meet the illustrious and titled, as 
well as the choicest of our literary celebrities, all alike enjoying the 
delightful seclusion it affords. The town, which wears an aristo- 
cratic appearance, has considerably increased within a few years 
in superior dwellings, good hotel accommodation, and convenient 
lodgings for temporary residents ; the lovely walks and quiet pro- 
menade on the cliff, embracing the beauties of nature, breathe 
calmness and serenity, the food of meditative minds. An elegant 
villa at the entrance of Broadstairs, the seat of the late T. Forsyth, 
Esq.,' commands one of the most superb views on the island ; it was 
a favourite residence of Her Majesty, when a child, and her beloved 
mother the late Duchess of Kent. 

There are three chapels : the Wesleyan, in Harbour Street ; Pro- 
vidence Chapel, in High Street ; and the Baptists', in Albion Street, 
formerly the chapel of Our Lady of Bradstow , already referred to. 

Trinity Church was erected in 1829, by public subscription, as a 
.chapel of ease to St. Peter's ; it was assigned an ecclesiastical dis- 
trict in 1850. This neat Gothic structure is built of flint, and 
contains sittings for about 1,000 persons. The living is a perpetual 
curacy, in the gift of the vicar of St. Peter's, valued at £180 per 
annum. The Rev. C. F. Newell, M.A., has held the incumbency 
since 1850. 



159 



EAMSGATE. 

In making Ramsgate our present theme, early associations rise 
vividly before us ; for here our first impressions of the beauties of 
Kent were developed some thirty-five years since in the com- 
panionship of the friend of our youth, — the unswerving, cherished 
friend of after life, now, alas! resting peacefully in his quiet grave 
in the ancient cemetery of St. John's, Hackney. In him, exem- 
plary piety adorned a noble nature, full of sympathy for suffering 
humanity : his walk through life was worthy of his Christian 
profession ; his end was peace ; and his memory will long live in 
the affections of many loving hearts. 

Ramsgate, or Riums-gate> as anciently written, is ninety-seven 
miles from London by railway, and faces the sea on the south side 
of the island. It was formerly, like its neighbour Margate, a 
simple fishing village of huts built of wood and thatched, and stood 
near the coast, until the encroaching sea drove the inhabitants 
more inland. In the year 1565 there were only twenty-five in- 
habited houses, and fourteen vessels, ranging from three to sixteen 
tons each, which employed seventy seamen in fishing and carrying 
grain to the several markets. Towards the close of the seven- 
teenth century (after the revolution of 1688) Ramsgate rapidly 
rose to an important town ; the extension of trade with Russia and 
the East proved of the greatest advantage to the inhabitants, who, 
having vigorously embarked in the adventure, were successful, and 
not only improved their houses, but considerably multiplied their 
numbers. 

This charming town stands on the declivity of two hills, opening 
on to the sea. In clear weather (looking across the ocean) the cliffs 
between Calais and Boulogne may be seen without telescopic aid ; 
then again, from any eminence we may view the whole island, and 
read the past, rich in memories of the Romans and of the Saxons, 
and call to remembrance the fact that the first inklings of 
Christianity were brought to the ancient Britons through this 
island, where Augustine preached the Gospel to Kentish men, and 
by his instrumentality their pagan king, Ethelbert, became a 
convert, and was baptized ; and on the Christmas day of the same 
year, a.d. 597, ten thousand of his subjects dedicated themselves 
by immersion to the same faith. Surely then Thanet must be 
dear to. every believer in that Sacred Writ which England has not 
only translated into every language and tongue, but sent her 
missionaries through every land to propound the truths therein 
proclaimed. 

According to Leland, there was a pier at Ramsgate in the reign 



160 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

of Henry VIII. which afforded little security in stormy weather. 
The loss of many ships on this coast during a violent gale in 1748 
having brought public attention to the necessity for a suitable 
harbour, an Act of Parliament was granted the following year, and 
in 1750 a new harbour was commenced from the designs of William 
Ackenden, Esq. : the work progressed with spirit for four years, 
when disagreements arose, and the whole was stopped until 1761; 
it was finished towards 1790, at a cost of from six to seven hundred 
thousand pounds, — a high-sounding sum, 'tis true, but bearing a 
very small proportion to the property and valuable lives thereby 
saved. This royal harbour has an area of fifty acres, capable of 
giving refuge to from four to five hundred vessels ; it is nearly 
circular, and built of purbeck and portland stone ; the water area 
forms two harbours, the inner of which has immense flood gates, 
with an elegant iron bridge across : on the east and west sides are 
splendid piers, some twenty- six feet wide : the length of the east 
pier is two thousand feet, and that of the west fifteen hundred feet, 
both of which are invigorating promenades. The Lighthouse, 
which stands at the extremity of the western pier, is a neat struc- 
ture of stone, with argand lamps and reflectors, only lighted during 
nights when the tide is sufficient for the safe riding of vessels. 

Ramsgate pier, forming the boundary of the harbour, extends 
nearly a thousand feet into the sea, and has a deserved pre- 
eminence as a promenade for beauty and fashion, seen advan- 
tageously on the arrival of the steamboat, when the loving smiles 
and beaming eyes of Albion's fair daughters greet the treasured 
ones they had awaited. From the west pier, on the face of the 
cliff, rises a novel staircase of steps called Jacob's Ladder, leading 
to Nelson's Crescent, West Cliff, and the Paragon : a similar flight, 
known as Augusta Stairs, runs from the sands to the Mount Albion 
estate, a pleasant spot amongst villas and elegant houses. 

The Pier House is a handsome structure, used occasionally 
as a temporary residence by the trustees. It was on this spot 
George IV., on his visit to and return from Hanover, in 1821, 
addressed his subjects present, and commanded that the haven 
should be designated the "Royal Harbour of Ramsgate" An 
obelisk of massive granite, Egyptian in design, was shortly after- 
wards erected at the cost of the inhabitants and harbour authorities 
in commemoration of the event : on the north and south sides are 
inscriptions in English and Latin, somewhat excessive in adulatory 
phraseology. 

The sands are most beautiful, and extend a mile outwards at low 
water. The bathing rooms on Kent Terrace, which face the sea 
are replete with every appliance, whilst those who prefer a plunge 
into the briny deep have every facility in bathing machines 
numbers of which are perpetually traversing the sands according 
to the tide. Perhaps one of the most gratifying illustrations o: 



KAMSGATi,. 101 

u London out of Town " is to be found here on a fine summer 
morning, where the formalities of society are wholly ignored ; — 
where the senator, the merchant, the scholar, even to the artizan, 
mingle, » without distinction, in friendly converse; where loving 
mothers enjoy the sports of their darling treasures, and super- 
annuated grandsires forget their infirmities in the ecstacies of 
little toddles digging in the sand, or dancing with joy at the sportive 
waves. Then, again, who can enumerate the many hearts won on 
Ramsgate Sands, the many who have met here as strangers, but 
returned to town ardent lovers, and whose names, within a brief 
period, have graced an important column of the Times newspaper. 

Ramsgate, patronized by the aristocracy, as well as by the upper 
and middle classes, wears a superior appearance in excellent houses, 
squares, terraces, and every description of building to constitute a 
first-rate town. The Market in York Street is a neat covered 
building, erected in 1839. Over the vegetable market is the Town 
Hall, having a bold facade, supported by noble columns. It con- 
tains an original portrait of Her Majesty, painted by Fowler in 
1840, pronounced to be one of the best likenesses ever executed. 
The Music Hall in George Place is spacious and handsome, and in 
considerable requisition during the season for lectures, balls, and 
concerts. Here are numerous charities and schools, and a Sea- 
man's Infirmary in Trafalgar Place, built by subscription, and 
supported by voluntary contributions, but principally by the neigh- 
bouring gentry. The Ramsgate and St. Lawrence Dispensary was 
established in 1820, since which time it has admitted 42,029 cases. 
According to the last report, from the death of many old sub- 
scribers, the funds are much impoverished, and the trustees are com- 
pelled to make an earnest appeal for increased aid, which we hope 
will call forth all the sympathy this excellent institution demands. 
The libraries are well supplied with modern publications, as well 
as classical and historical literature. The Marine Library is a 
fashionable lounge in summer. 

Sir Moses Montefiore has a charming seat about a mile from the 
town, known as East Cliff Lodge, communicating with some re- 
markable caverns, excavated in the cliff descending to the shore. 

The parish of Ramsgate includes the ecclesiastical district of 
Christ Church and part of Ellington hamlet, the remainder being 
in St. Lawrence. A chapel of ease to St. Lawrence was built at 
Ramsgate in 1791, under an Act of Parliament, but from the in- 
creasing population a new church, dedicated to St. George, was 
erected in 1829 at an outlay of £24,000. This elegant Gothic struc- 
ture has an area of 148 feet by 68 feet, and will seat 2,000 persons, 
of which 1,200 sittings are free. The living is a vicarage in the 
gift of the Archbishop of Canterbury, valued at £400 per annum. 
The present incumbent is the Rev. J. M. Nisbett, M.A., Ru'alDean 
of Ramsgate. 

M 



162 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

Christ Church, in the vale near Queen Street, was built by 
private subscription in 1847. This is a neat edifice of Kentish 
ragstone, with a pretty spire. The living, a perpetual curacy, is 
vested in trustees. The Rev. T. H. Davis, M.A., was appointed 
incumbent in 1853. 

Holy Trinity is another perpetual curacy, in the patronage 
of the vicar of St. Lawrence. It was built in 1849 on the Mount 
Albion Estate. The Rev. J. Gilmore, M.A., succeeded to the 
curacy in 1858. 

St. Augustine's Roman Catholic Church is an effective specimen 
of Early Decorated, designed by the late A. Welby Pugin, the 
founder of the church. The walls are of flint dressed with Whitby 
stone, a revival of the style of one of our early English churches, with 
richly carved screens, noble chancel, a Lady Chapel, and the Founder's 
Chapel, St. Ethelbert's aisle, a south transept, and an altar dedi- 
cated to St. Lawrence. The church measures 90 feet by 60 feet, 
and the windows are filled with rich coloured glass. 

The Dissenters have eight chapels, and the Jews a Synagogue at 
Hereson, built by Sir Moses Montefiore. 



ST. LAWRENCE. 

St. Lawrence, the venerable Mother Church of Ramsgate, and 
little more than a quarter of a mile from that fashionable town, is 
very pleasantly situated on a knoll, with the pretty little village 
of its own name adjoining. This is an interesting church, partly 
built by the Saxons, having three chancels, a nave, and two aisles. 
The tower, supported by four pillars, rises from the centre, on the 
capitals of which are some very curious sculptures, and on the 
outside of the battled tower a range of small octagonal Saxon 
pillars supporting semi-circular arches. The church is built of 
field stones, rough cast over, and has the appearance of having 
been erected at different periods. In the middle chancel are monu- 
mental brasses, and a very ancient slab for one Umfry. The north 
chancel is said to have been built by the Manstons many centuries 
since, when there was a high altar, as well as others in 
chapels, dedicated to St. James, St. Catherine, St. Thomas, and the 
Holy Trinity. Here are several monuments for ancient families, 
including those of the Nicholas 1 ', the Spracklwgs, and the Thatchers. 
A mausoleum of Caen stone of fine workmanship has been erected 
in the churchyard for the Countess of Dunmore and her son Colonel 
D'Este, brother of the present Lady Truro. In 1857 the church 
was largely restored by Smith and Son, of Ramsgate. 

St. Lawrence Church was a Chapelry to Minster Church until 



ST. LAWRENCE. 1 03 

about the year 1200, when it was made parochial. In 1275 the 
then Primate Robert consecrated the churchyard, stipulating that 
none of the inhabitants should be buried there without the express 
permission of the vicar of Minster. It appears, however, that a 
composition was subsequently made and confirmed by the Arch- 
bishop. The living is a vicarage in the patronage of the Archbishop 
of Canterbury, with a stipend of £162 per annum, to which the 
Rev. G. W. Sicklemore, M.A., succeeded in 1830. 

This parish abounds in small, well populated hamlets, with some 
goodly estates ; the lands, which are more enclosed than the 
northern parishes, extend nearly three miles from east to west, 
and about two miles from north to south. Nether Court, the 
residence of the vicar of St. Lawrence, is an elegant gentleman's 
seat near the church, which belonged to the family of Goshall 
until the reign of Henry IV., after which it passed through many 
hands. 

Manston is a pretty little village of a few cottages between 
Ramsgate and Minster, inhabited by cotters, whose rustic simplicity 
and primitive amusements interest many visitors unaccustomed to 
rural artlessness. Manston Court, near the village, is an estate 
of some importance, the property of a family of that name in the 
reign of King John, whose descendant, William Manston, was 
Sheriff of Kent in -1436 ; it was here that Henry VI. held his 
Court in the same century. The mansion has been converted 
into a farm house, but there are some remains of the ancient pic- 
turesque chapel at the north end, where the only parasite that clings 
to ruins clothes its mouldering walls with rich foliage. Garrows 
Villa is a pleasing mansion, formerly the residence of Sir William 
Garrow, who built it for his summer seat ; it was recently in the 
occupation of T. N. Harris, Esq. 



PEGWELL BAY. 

Every sojourner at Ramsgate or Margate is attracted to Peg well 
Bay, the scenery near it being very beautiful, and the sands 
expansive at low water ; it is reputed for lobsters and shrimps of 
superior quality. Paley gives us a pleasing description of what he 
had frequently remarked here in a calm evening at ebbing tide. We 
give a transcript, which reads thus: — ' I have frequently observed the 
appearance of a dark cloud, or rather very thick mist, hanging over the 
edge of the water to the height of perhaps, half a yard, and of the 
breadth of two or three yards, stretching along the coast as far as tlie 
eye could reach, and always retiring with the water. When this cloud 
came to be examined, it proved to be nothing else than so much space 

M 2 



164 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

filled with young shrimps in the act of bounding into the air from the 
shallow margin of the water, or from the wet sand.' The Belle Vue 
Inn, from its contiguity, and the good catering of the proprietor, 
enjoys liberal patronage. 



MINSTER. 

Minster, five miles west of Ramsgate, derives its name from the 
Saxon word Minstre, a monastery, has an area of 6,170 statute 
acres including water, 261 houses, and 1,588 inhabitants. The 
village lies at the base of the island, nearly central of the parish, 
from whence the land rises northward. The cottages are particu- 
larly neat and clean, with gay well-tended gardens, and pretty 
climbing plants carefully trained round doors and windows ; here 
roses and honeysuckle, jasmine and woodbine, grow luxuriously in 
odorous beauty and variety, the fascinating charm of our English 
villages, and the delight of metropolitan visitors. The farms in 
this parish are amongst the largest in the county, and the proprie- 
tors are mostly wealthy. 

The Manor of Minster, called in Domesday Tanet Manor, was 
part of the possessions of Egbert, King of Kent, a.d. 670, who, 
having been accessory to the murder of his cousins Ethelred and 
Ethelbright, gave 1 this manor, in extenuation of his crime, to 
Domneva, their sister, for , the erection and maintenance of a 
monastery to the memory of the princes, wherein she and her 
nuns might pray for the king's absolution. This monastery, 
afterwards called St. Mildreds Abbey, was built near the spot 
where Minster Church now stands, when Domneva was appointed 
first abbess by Archbishop Theodore. She was the wife of a 
Prince of Mercia, by whom she had a .daughter, Mildred, who 
with herself had taken the veil. Domneva's sister was also a nun, 
and became an inmate of this monastery of seventy nuns. Mil- 
dred, who was much revered, succeeded her mother. After the 
death of Mildred, Edburga became abbess, but finding the building 
inconveniently small, erected a more stately fabric and built 
chapels, one of which she dedicated to SS. Peter and Paul. About 
the year 750, the body of St. Mildred, who had been canonized, was 
moved to it, when, according to tradition, many miracles were 
wrought. Edburga herself was also buried here, and afterwards 
sainted. The Banes repeatedly ravaged the convent, laid waste the 
lands, reduced the sisterhood to grief and poverty, and finally 
destroyed it by fire, in the flames of which many of the nuns 
perished; the chapels, however, remained uninjured, for in one of 
• them service was afterwards celebrated for the inhabitants of the 



MINSTER. 1G5 

parish. In 1027 King Canute gave the site of the monastery, the 
manor, and all the lands to the Abbott and Convent of St. 
Augustine — a gift subsequently confirmed by Edward the Con- 
fessor. The remains of the monastery were converted into a Court 
Lodge, afterwards called Minster Court. The manor, with its 
rents, was valued at £232 4s. 3c?. in the reign of Richard II., and 
the land appertaining thereto estimated at 2,149 acres. 

Minster Church, dedicated to St. Mary, was partly built by the 
monks of St. Augustine, and is considered one of the oldest in the 
kingdom. Some historians believe the nave to be part of the 
church built by the Abbess Edburga in the eighth century ; the 
pillars being thick and short, and the arches circular, fully accord- 
ing with the architecture of that period. This noble edifice consists 
of a nave, north and south aisles, chancel, transept, and a battled 
tower, from which rises a spire ; on the spire was formerly a globe, 
surmounted by a cross covered with lead bearing a vane, and above 
that a smaller cross of iron ; these were removed in 1 647 by the 
famous fanatic Richard Culmer, who termed them monuments of 
superstition and idolatry. The tower contains a clock and a peal of 
*nve bells. The pillars and arches are Saxon, the transept and 
chancel early English, the latter being vaulted with stone, but not 
the transept, although the footings left indicate such to have been 
the original intention. The church was closed in 1862 for partial 
restoration and thorough repair, when all the ugly pews were swept 
away and some painted glass windows introduced ; it was re-opened 
in May of 1863. Formerly there were altars dedicated to the Holy 
Trinity, St. James, and St. Anne, and a rood loft; the collegiate 
stalls in the chancel are still preserved. In the north transept is 
an ancient tomb beneath an arch of Saxon sculpture, with an inscrip- 
tion in early French for Edile de Morne; in the porch and nave are 
numerous flat gravestones of great antiquity, the inscriptions being 
wholly worn away. The monuments are numerous and interesting ; 
two are black marble altar- tombs elaborately sculptured. For 
several centuries a large bible secured by a chain was to be seen — 
all that now remains is a portion of the brass- bound cover chained, 
as originally, to the side of the Bible pew. 

The living is a vicarage in the gift of the Archbishop of Canter- 
bury, valued at £733 per annum. The Rev. R. F. AVheeler, M.A., 
has been incumbent since 1851. 



166 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 



KICHBOKOUGH, 

Rxchtsorough, the Roman Rutupioe, and the Saxon Repfacester, 
■was a city of considerable importance early in the Christian era, 
whence ran the great Roman military road — Watling Street — in 
one continuous line through the county to London, and onwards to 
North Wales ; when its stupendous castle commanded the entrance 
of an extensive port at the mouth of a hold channel, by which the 
maritime commerce of ancient England passed to and from the 
Thames, down to the seventh century. These waters formed an 
extensive bay, supposed to have commenced near Ramsgate Cliffs, 
stretching beyond Sandwich, five miles in width, and covering the 
present sites of Stonar and Sandwich, now fertile lands and popu- 
lous neighbourhoods. 

According to ancient history, this port (Portus Rupinus) was 
celebrated during the dominion of the Romans in Britain as a safe 
and commodious harbour — (station em ex adverso tranquillam), as 
termed by Ammianus,— and even after the Romans it continued the 
favourite port of the Saxons until the sea had receded to the des- 
truction of its navigability. Large quantities of Anglo-Saxon coins 
have been found, commencing with Sceattas, the earliest, and 
others down to the ninth century, warranting the assumption that 
Richborough retained some of its importance to that period. We 
have already remarked that the fort of Richborough on the east, 
and that of Reculver on the north, defended the mouths of a great 
maritime pass eight miles in length, and from the resemblance of 
their existing remains, were most probably built at the same time, 
under the Emperor Severus, about the year 205. 

Richborough Castle stands on a high hill overlooking a deep pre- 
cipice, and at the foot was the haven. Upon the south-west slope 
stood a city or large town, of which not a vestige remains. Histo- 
rians, however, differ as to the precise site. Ptolemy, Orosius, and 
the Venerable Becle are agreed as to the existence of a Roman city 
or large town, whilst Leland and Camden are unanimous in assert- 
ing that the ancient town surrounded the castle on the slope of the 
hilL the foot being washed by the strait which formerly bounded 
the Isle of Thanet. 

That there was a town, and an important one too, is fully de- 
monstrated by the numberless graves and barrows spread over the 
flat lands, enshrining many Romans and Saxons, and perhaps, as 
Black gives it — ' the bones of some distinguished Roman soldier, slain 
in a struggle ivith the fierce Celtic aborigines of Kent' Some early 
writers tell us that the cemetery of this Roman station was two 
miles distant, probably at Osengall, where lines of graves dug out 
of the chalk have been discovered which contained numerous skele- 



RICHBOROUGII. 1G7 

tons, as well as relics in knives, swords, shields, early Saxon coins, 
and jewellery, important links in the chain of ancient English 
history— reminiscences of the Romans and of the Saxons, those fore- 
fathers of our race — the progenitors of a mighty people whose 
voice has penetrated every land, and whose laws, literature, and 
language command the respect and admiration of every civilised 
nation throughout the world. 

Near the castle are still some remains of an amphitheatre called 
by Leland, Littleborough, and Stukeley, a Castrensian amphitheatre. 
The circumference is about 220 yards, rising twelve feet above the 
arena. 

The ruins of Richborough Castle are in remarkable preservation 
considering their remote antiquity, for with the exception of the 
Vindonum of the Romans at Silchester, in Hampshire, they are the most 
perfect throughout the kingdom, standing in massive grandeur, an 
enduring monument of Roman art in the third century, whilst 
most of our castles of the middle ages have crumbled into ruin. 

The magnificent remains of this Roman fortress may be de- 
scribed as a parallelogram nearly north and south, east and west, 
containing an area of five acres. The north wall is far the grandest 
portion of the ruin, without aperture or loop-hole, richly spread over 
with broad masses of luxuriant ivy. This wall measured originally 
560 feet in length, of which about 440 still exist, varying in height 
from 10 to 30 feet, and from 11 to 12 feet in thickness, the whole 
being built with flints faced with white stones and tiles, an im- 
posing example of Roman workmanship in the beautiful regularity 
of the courses of tiles and stones ; thus— the squared stones, at five 
feet from the base, are separated by a double layer of yellow and 
red Roman tiles, each tile being about an inch and a half in thick- 
ness, then a course of stone work, and again coloured tiles, re- 
peated at intervals of from three to four feet continuously to the 
summit. In this wall is a postern or entrance to the fortress, called 
by the Romans the Porta Principalis, afterwards the Postern Gate. 
We pass this entrance and find ourselves in a corn field once the 
area of the fortress. Towards the centre of this field was a barren 
part in the- form of a cross, which for ages was the subject of super- 
stitious legend, until some massive foundations were discovered, 
thus described by Black: — ' This cruciform structure rested on a 
foundation of masonry 5 feet thick, 145 feet long, and 104 feet wide. 
Its 'shaft* ran north and south to a length of 87 feet, and 7 feet 
5 inches broad. The arms extended 46 feet, and their breadth was 
22. Beneath it was discovered in 1822 a remarkable subterranean 
building (132 feet by 94J whose use it is impossible to conjecture, and 
which has never yet been fully examined. 9 Here also were found 
brass and lead and broken vessels, and a bronze figure of a Roman 
soldier, playing on an instrument resembling the bagpipes. 

The south wall measured 540 feet, of which 250 feet still remain, 



168 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

"but more ruined than that on the north. The west wall was 484 feet 
long, with an opening in the centre, and near it the remains of a 
tower. This entrance was the Decuman Gate of the Romans. Other 
square towers may be traced in the walls, supposed to have been 
watch towers rather than for purposes of defence. 

There can be no doubt of the early importance of this citadel of 
the Romans, for the Venerable Bede, who wrote eleven hundred 
years since, pronounced it the * chief thing of note on the southern 
coast' and that the Isle of Thanet was divided from the other land 
by ' the River Wantsum, which is about three furlongs over, and ford- 
able only in two places, for both ends of it run into the sea,' proving 
that the noble estuary which had formed the direct course for 
shipping from Gaul to London was, even in his day, a respectable 
river. Leland, again, gives the following quaint description of the 
castle and city : — ' Richboro' was, or ever the River Stour did turn 
his bottom or old canal within the Isle of Thanet, and by likelihood the 
main sea came to the very foot of the castle. The walls, which remain 
there yet, be in compass almost as much as the Tower of London. 
They have been very high, thick, strong, and well embattled. The matter 
of them is flint and stone, marvellous and long bricks, white and red, 
after the Britons' fashion. There is great likelihood that the goodly 
hill about the castle hath been well inhabited. Towards Sandwich is 
a great dyke, cast in round compass, as it had been for fence of men of 
vjar; and there is more antiquities of Roman money found at this place 
of Richboro' than any place else in England. Within the castle is a 
little parish church of St. Augustine and an hermitage. I had anti- 
quities of the hermit, the which is an industrious man. Not far from 
the hermitage is a cave where men have sought and digged for treasure. 
I saw it by candle within, and there were conies — rabbits. It was so 
straight that I had no mind to creep far in. In the north side of the 
castle is a head in the wall, now sore defaced with weather : they 
call it Queen Bertha's Head. Near to that place, hard by the wall t 
was a pot of Roman money found.' 

Antiquarians are much indebted to Mr. C. Roach Smith and Mr. 
Thomas Wright for publishing the results of their successful re- 
searches amongst the antiquities of Richborough, Reculver, and 
Thanet. Through them we learn that the citadel of Richborough 
was once splendidly ornamented with white Italian marble, in 
cornices, mouldings, and other decorations, of which, quantities, in 
fragments, were found in the interior and during the excavations for 
the railway. The operations for the railway also bared on the beach 
the foundations of a Roman villa, and at Osengall Downs numerous 
graves of the early Saxon settlers, with which the whole summit of 
the hill is covered ; of these graves nearly 200 were cut through 
for the construction of the line, which bears an insignificant pro- 
portion to those remaining undisturbed. Gleaning from the same 
authority ( Wright's Wanderings), we have interesting details of dis- 



RICHBOROUGH. 1G9 

coveries, in 1847, amongst these graves of the Anglo-Saxons, 
which are found in rows in the chalk, at about four feet deep. In 
one were the skeletons of a man, woman, and child, lying ana-in- 
arm, the mother in the centre, with a large iron spear-head between 
herself and her husband; under the man s chin was a large amber 
head, and towards the waist a belt buckle and a small knife com- 
monly found in the graves of Anglo-Saxons ; round the woman's 
neck was an amber necklace, and near the child — supposed to be a 
girl of about thirteen — another necklace of amber and glass, a small 
knife and a pair of bronze tweezers. Another grave contained the 
skeletons of a man and a woman, with the forehead of the man 
resting on the cheek of the female; an elegant silver brooch, set 
with garnets, lay on her breast, and a sword by the side of the 
man. A pair of bronze scales, with a set of weights composed of 
Roman coins, was found in another, and in a grave near to it a 
gold coin of the Emperor Justin, who reigned between the years 
518 — 527, and some sceattas (early Saxon coins). 

During these interesting researches two Roman graves were dis- 
covered ; one was an ordinary one, the other contained a Roman 
coffin of lead similar to those found at Colchester in Essex, which, 
Mr. Wright appositely observes, demonstrates that a Roman and 
Saxon population lived simultaneously, and probably mixed together, in 
the Isle of Thanet. The poet Ausonius, who lived in the fourth 
century, tells us that his uncle Contentus died and was buried at 
Rutupioe, of which his kinsman Flavius Sanctus was afterwards 
governor. The early Latin writers also well knew this spot, and 
Juvenal lauds the delicate oysters for which this locality was 
famous. These references, discoveries, and remains carry us back 
to the days when England was a Roman province, when the 
natives spoke Latin, and were well schooled in the masiners and 
customs of the Romans, whose grand naval port was Rutupioe, de- 
fended by the massive fortress of Richborough ; that port where, 
towards the close of Roman rule, Saxon and Roman ships anchored 
in friendly alliance, lived on terms of amity, and mingled their dead 
in the same cemeteries. 



SANDWICH. 

Sandwich, a name derived from Sandwic, the Saxon for Sandytown, 
is ninety-eight miles from London by railway, and thirteen miles 
from Canterbury ; it ranks amongst the principal Cinque Ports, and 
was formerly one of the most important on the English coast. During 
the Romans the site of the town was submerged, and part of the bay 
of Portus Rupinus. It is built on the north-east coast of the county, 
now nearly two miles from the sea, and the sinuous river Stour, on 



170 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

which it stands, reduced to a stream only navigable for vessels of 
light burden. 

There is much to interest the antiquarian at Sandwich, for when 
Richborough was abandoned by the sea Sandwich rose in impor- 
tance and became a flourishing harbour. The town was well forti- 
fied with a castle on the south side, where Falconbridge, in 1471, 
resisted Edward IV. We first read of Sandwich as a port in the 
* Vita Wilfredi ' of Eddius, wherein he records that Wilfred Arch- 
bishop of York landed in the harbour of Sandwich about the year 
665. This town and port belonged to the crown until King Ethelred, 
in 979, gave them to the brethren of Christchurch, Canterbury. When 
Canute, the Danish monarch, had by conquest possessed himself of 
the realm, he restored to Christ Church, in 1023, their right and 
interest in Sandwich. The port had now gained priority over all 
others, and ranked as a hundred within itself, continuing to increase 
in importance down to the Conquest. In 1217 the French ravaged 
and burned it in part, but, by favour of the king, Henry III., the 
damage was shortly repaired. 

From the Conquest to Richard II. Sandwich was the royal port 
for all fleets, and was constantly visited by the successive monarchs, 
who embarked and returned hither from France. At that time there 
were 1,500 able seamen belonging to the navy of this port, and in the 
reign of Edward IV. the town possessed 90 ships. Sandwich was 
plundered by the French in the 16th and 35th years of the reign 
of Henry VI., and again in 1457 by Charles VIII. of France, who 
landed with 4,000 men and gained possession of the town, which 
they nearly destroyed by fire, and put to the sword numbers of the 
inhabitants. Edward IV. fortified the town and rebuilt the walls, 
contributing £100 annually from the custom dues for their main- 
tenance, which, added to the industry of the inhabitants, soon 
restored Sandwich to its former importance. Such enviable pros- 
perity, however, was not of long duration; the waters of the Stour 
began rapidly to recede, and, to add to the calamity, a large ship 
of Pope Paul IV. was sunk at the entrance of the port, thereby 
causing an accumulation of mud and sand with such fatal effect 
that, in the reign of Edward VI., the haven was comparatively de- 
stroyed and the navy and seamen reduced to insignificance. 

On the decline of the port, after the recession of the sea, a new 
source of wealth and prosperity arose out of the religious persecu- 
tions in Brabant and Flanders, which brought hundreds of the 
Walloons to Sandwich, when it became a prosperous manufacturing 
town, in serges, flannels, and baize, until other localities rivalled 
them, and ultimately largely estranged the trade. 

Sandwich is united to Stonar and the Isle of Thanet by a bridge, 
the centre of which opens for the passage of vessels having station- 
ary masts. The river at spring tides is about 150 feet in width, 
and in some places 11 feet deep. The town is not considered 



SANDWICH. 171 

healthy, from its contiguity to the marshes. The houses are quaint 
and primitive, and mostly of an ordinary description ; the streets, 
with the exception of High Street, although well paved, resemble 
lanes, and are ill-suited for carriage traffic ; in Strand Street the 
house where Queen Elizabeth resided during her visit of some 
days in 1572, remains, and continues in the occupation of de- 
scendants of the original family ; an ancient house in the same 
street has curious wood carving on the front ; and in Lucks- 
boat Street is another dwelling, supposed to date from Henry 
VIII., that contains in a principal apartment some clever carving 
of whimsical heads on 22 oak panels ; there are also other interest- 
ing specimens of old street building scattered through the town. 

The ancient wall which still surrounds Sandwich has been con- 
verted into a pleasing walk, and facing the quay stands ' Fisher's 
Gate ' with its grey towers, the last remains of its olden fortifica- 
tions. Canterbury Gate was razed in 1780, and Sandwich, Wodens- 
borough, and IS/ew gates, early in the present century. Sandwich 
Castle and the adjoining Carmelite priory founded in 1272 are also 
no more. Here the busy hum of its once crowded streets has lapsed 
into repose, and the jostlings of active life, lost in painful quiet, 
sadly contrast with its former glory and importance. 

Sandwich was first incorporated by Edward III., as the ' Mayor, 
Jurats, and Commonalitie of the town and port.' Charles II. granted 
a new charter, which gave a mayor and twelve jurats, who are, ex 
officio, justices of the peace. All ordinances and decrees emanate 
from the whole corporate body at a common assembly convened by 
the sound of a horn. These meetings are held on the first Monday 
after St. Andrew's day to elect a mayor, and on the following 
Thursday for choosing inferior officers. The mayor of Sandwich 
carries a black wand as a badge of office, being in contradistinction 
of most others, who bear white wands. The Townhall, or rather 
Guildhall, is a small Elizabethan structure of two stories. Amongst 
the relics preserved in the council chamber is a side-saddle of Queen 
Elizabeth, some mediaeval armour, and a scold's ' ducking stooU The 
market days are Wednesdays and Saturdays, and an annual fair on 
the 4th December. 

Sir Roger Manwood founded a free grammar school for the chil- 
dren of the inhabitants about the years 1564-5. The Carmelite 
priory of Whitefriars, which was founded by Henry Cowfield in 
1272, possessed the privilege of affording sanctuary to criminals. 
The monastery, garden, and meadows, covered an area exceeding 
five acres, and annexed to it was a cemetery, where, distinct of the 
friars, many principal inhabitants were buried. 

St. John's Hospital stands on the north west side of the corn 
market. There is no certainty as to its date: the oldest grant, 
however, was in the sixteenth year of the reign of Edward I., 
wherein it is called ' Domus Dei et sancti Johannis de Sandwico' 



172 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

and towards the close of the thirteenth century ' St. John's Hospitale.' 
The main "building was large, with a dining hall, and numerous 
apartments for the brethren and sisters, behind which was a range 
of rooms called the ' Harbinge' — a refuge for travellers and 
strangers, who were entertained and comfortably lodged. 

St. Thomas's Hospital, between the corn market and New Street, 
so named in honour of Thomas a Becket, was founded in the 
fourteenth century by Thomas Ellis, a wealthy draper of this town, 
who was mayor in 1370, and represented the borough in Parlia- 
ment. There are eight men and four women on this foundation. 

St. Bartholomew's Hospital was founded in 1244 by Sir Henry 
de Sandwich, who was Bishop of London in 1262. It stands on 
the south of the town, covering about six acres, and was founded 
for the support of infirm men and women, ' the brethren and sisters 
living under an order of discipline t being maintained at table, and 
wearing a uniform habit. 1 Their numbers were twelve men and 
four women, but at present vacancies are filled irrespective of sex. 
The mayor for the time being has the right of presentation when 
vacancies occur, and annually, on the festival of St. Bartholomew, 
the mayor and jurats visit the foundation in procession as ' Patrons, 
governors and visitors.' The hospital consists of fifteen commodious 
dwellings, — a farmhouse, barns, and stables, and pretty gardens for 
each of the inmates ; the farmhouse was originally the sixteenth 
tenement, but is now the residence of the tenant of the lands 
belonging to the institution, in lieu of which the incumbent receives 
an allowance in money to provide a residence in the town. 

This foundation, which is extra-parochial, has an ancient chapel 
annexed to the hospital, where formerly three priests officiated, but 
at the Reformation, when masses for the dead were abolished, these 
chaplains were removed. In 1636 a clergyman was admitted a 
brother and celebrated service, after whom the service was monthly, 
when a sermon was preached by one of the clergy of Sandwich. 
According to the last census, the district of St. Bartholomew's 
Hospital contained eighteen houses and fifty-one inhabitants. 

Sandwich is within the diocese of Canterbury, and has three 
parochial churches dedicated to the Saints Mary, Peter, and 
Clement. 

St. Mary's parish spreads over 127 statute acres, having a popu- 
lation of 919 persons, occupying 200 dwellings. The church is in 
Strand Street, built on the site of a Saxon church destroyed by the 
Danes. In 1448 a portion of the steeple fell, when the structure 
underwent general repair, and comprised a nave, high chancel, 
St. Lawrence chancel, and north and south aisles. On the 25th 
of April, 1667, the steeple again fell in, destroying the western 
wall, and a large portion of the church, after which it was recon- 
structed in part, the north aisle and the nave forming the present 
edifice. The steeple, which is low, was built over the south porch 



SANDWICH. 173 

in 1? 18. The base is of stone, with the upper part of brick. The 
silver and jewellery belonging to this church at the Reformation 
was estimated at ' 724 ounces of silver, and ecclesiastical vestments of 
equal value.' The monuments are numerous and ancient, and in the 
churchyard are altar-tombs mostly for leading families long since 
passed away. The living is a vicarage, valued at £117 per annum. 
The Rev. E. N. Braddon, the incumbent, was inducted in 1846. 

St. Peter's parish has an area of 36 acres only, whilst the houses 
number 261, and the inhabitants 1,085. The church stands nearly 
in the centre of the town, and formerly consisted of a nave, and 
north and south aisles. The steeple, however, fell down in 1661, 
and destroyed the south aisle, which still remains in ruins, and with 
it the handsome altar-tomb of Sir John Grove, who lived in the 
reign of Henry VI. , portions of which may yet be seen. The pre- 
sent church is in part the original fabric, reconstructed with 
Kentish ragstone and flints. The tower is built of the old material 
to the height of the roof, and upwards to the battlements of brick. 
In 1504, during the plague, this church was appropriated to the use 
of Flemish residents — Walloons — for their special worship. In 
the north aisle are many ancient memorials, including a coffin- 
shaped gravestone bearing a cross with the arms of Adam Stannar, 
a priest; a brass for Thomas Gilbert, recording his death in 1597 ; 
and in an early English recess, the tomb of Thomas Ellis, the 
founder of St. Thomas' Hospital, about the years 1385-90. It bears 
the figures of Jiimself and wife. The living is a rectory, valued at 
£144 per annum, in the incumbency of the Rev. Horace Gilder, 
M.A., since 1851. 

St. Clement's parish consists of 540 acres, 186 houses, and 889 
inhabitants. The church, which stands at the eastern part of the 
town, is by far the grandest and most ancient structure in Sandwich. 
The Norman tower, which rises from the centre, is the oldest portion 
of the fabric, ornamented on either side by ranges of pillars and cir- 
cular arches ; the lowest is a range of six, the second seven, and 
the uppermost nine arches. The battlements and spire were taken 
down in the seventeenth century. It is built of Norman stone and 
boulders, mixed with Caen and sandstone, probably the materials 
of a former church occupying the site of the present structure. It 
has a nave, north and south aisles, separated by early English 
pillars and arches, and three chancels. The roof is of oak, in 
panels between arched beams, richly carved to represent angels 
supporting shields, ornamented with roses and foliage. The stalls 
of the brotherhood of St. George were in the principal chancel. 
This fraternity, on the annual festival of their patron saint, bore his 
figure through the town with great pomp. In the north and south 
aisles were chantries dedicated to the Saints James, Margaret, 
Thomas the Martyr, and George. The font is of the time of 
Henry VII., and stands in the north aisle, forming an octagonal 



174 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

basin, supported on a stone pillar. The eight sides are ornamented 
with roses, shields, grotesque faces, fruits, flowers, and foliage. In 
this church are numerous monuments and tombs to the memory of 
early residents, and some brasses, one of the latter being for Eliza- 
beth Spencer, who died in 1583. The churchyard is the supposed 
site of an ancient cemetery, from the urns and other relics found 
there. The living is a vicarage in the patronage of the Archbishop 
of Canterbury, valued at £130 per annum, held by the liev. E. N. 
Brad don since 184G, who, as before stated, is also vicar of St. Mary's. 



DEAL. 

Deal, anciently Dale and Dola, or, according to Domesday, 
Addelam, ' the low open shore,' is 102 miles from London by railway. 
Most historians are unanimous in supposing that Julius Caesar and 
his legions landed between Deal and AValmer. Dr. Halley asserts 
that the cliffs mentioned by Caesar in his Commentaries were those 
of Dover, and that the plain and open shore which he next arrived 
at was that along the Downs here, where he made his landing good. 
We have, however, no conclusive evidence of the precise spot, 
although it must have been in this direction; and from the quanti- 
ties of Roman coins found under the sand banks, mostly of the 
Emperor Tacitus, a.d. 275, it is evident that Deal was a station 
early during the Roman occupation. 

This is a municipal borough, and a member of the Cinque Ports of 
Sandwich. It stands close to the sea shore, with a fine open beach 
opposite the Goodwin Sands, and south of the Downs. It has been 
computed that 20,000 vessels pass annually through the Downs, and 
during adverse winds, from two to three and even four hundred 
ships are sometimes anchored for weeks oft" Deal. The Deal boatmen 
estimated at something exceeding 500, have a high character for 
intrepidity. Not unfrequently have they put off to wrecks on the 
Goodwin Sands during the most fearful of storms, and miraculously 
rescued hundreds that would otherwise have perished. 

The town may be described as upper and lower Deal, consisting 
of three principal streets in lines, facing the sea, with others 
branching from them into the country. Beach Street, as its name 
implies, is nearest to the sea, and stretches to the farthest extremity 
of the town. Thus exposed to the wide expanse of the Downs it 
contains the elements of health and purity, although frequently 
threatened with destruction from tempest. The air is very salubri 
ous and dry, and the beach being of shingle the water is beautifully 
clear and well suited for bathing ; many invalids, as well as pleasure 
seekers, have a preference for Deal, from the animated sea view, its 
fine bathing and invigorating atmosphere ; and although it canno 



DEAL. 175 

afford the attractions of more fashionable watering-places, yet its 
moderate charges and extreme civility are perhaps equivalents. 

Deal is decidedly a populous bustling town, largely identified 
with the shipping interest. Here are large naval and victualling 
yards, and a custom house, under the superintendence of a comp- 
troller, collector, surveyor, and a staff of active officers. The Deal 
pilots rank amongst the most skilful of British seamen, and, like the 
boatmen, have a deserved repute for courage and daring. The 
Naval Hospital is a large building, with a frontage of 360 feet ; the 
barracks were built in 1795 ; the custom house, town hall, and 
naval store-house rank amongst the principal buildings , there are 
also reading-rooms, and a public library and baths. A handsome 
pier, extending far into the sea, has just been opened, which will 
prove of vast importance to the town ; the first column was formally 
fixed on the 8th of April, 1863, in the presence of Mr. Huggessen, 
one of the Borough Members, and a Lord of the Treasury. It is 
further proposed to erect a noble harbour and docks, as here- 
tofore, unless in calm weather, communication with Deal was all 
but impracticable ; frequently hundreds of vessels, weather bound 
for days, and sometimes weeks, have lacked provisions, and 
although riding off Deal, the nearest market, were necessitated to 
procure their supplies either from Dover or Ramsgate. 

The parochial schools were built in 1853, and the nationa] 
schools, for one hundred boys and a like number of girls, in 1792. 
The town is well paved and lighted with gas, and fresh water is 
abundant, supplied from works erected at the north extremity. 
Deal was constituted a free town and borough by the charter of 
William III. in 1699, under the control of a mayor, twelve jurats, 
and a council of twenty-four, the jurats acting as magistrates, 
exclusive of the justices of the county. There is a Catholic Chapel, 
and several others belonging to dissenters of different denomina- 
tions. The cemetery, in Upper Deal, covers five acres, and is laid 
out with much taste in shrubs and flowers ; it cost £3,000, including 
two chapels, a keeper's lodge, and the surrounding walls, and iron 
gates. 

Henry VIII., in 1539, erected castles at Deal, Warmer, and San- 
down, each with four bastions of massive stone- work. In the centre 
rises a bold round tower, the whole surrounded by a moat, over 
which was a drawbridge. Deal Castle stands south of the town, 
and has an imposing appearance. The interior has been re-modelled 
to form a family residence, to which has been added a suite of 
handsome apartments stretching towards the sea. The moat forms a 
plantation, well stocked with shrubs and trees. 

San down Castle, now a coast-guard station, stands about a mile 
north of the town, and much resembles its neighbour, Deal Castle, 
on the south. It was here that Colonel John Hutchinson was im- 
prisoned and died in 1664, who, it will be remembered, was a 



176 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

Puritan soldier, and one of the regicides who signed the death- 
warrant of Charles I. 

Deal has two markets weekly, and a fair in October for cattle 
and various merchandise. The parish extends over 1,217 acres, 
including water. The inhabitants numbered at the last census 7,531, 
and the houses 1,700. 

The town having become very populous in the reign of Queen 
Anne, a chapel of ease to the mother church was built in 1716 by 
private subscription. It was consecrated by Archbishop Wake, 
who contributed £100 towards its erection, and dedicated it to St. 
George the Martyr. The Rev. H. H. Dombrain was appointed to 
the perpetual curacy in 1849, at a stipend of £108 per annum. The 
chapel stands in Lower Deal, having a district containing 2,731 
inhabitants. In 1850 another chapel was built in West Street, aE 1 
dedicated to St. Andrew; this is a handsome structure, built in 
much better taste than its precursor. It has a district with 2,697 
inhabitants. The Rev. M. E. Benson, B.A., has held the incum- 
bency, which is in the gift of the rector, since 1852. 

The parish church, dedicated to St. Leonard, is ancient and large, 
with a tower and turret at the west end, rebuilt in 1684, and largely 
repaired in 1825. This church has evidently undergone many 
repairs and alterations, until little of its former character remains ; 
still there are distinct traces of early Norman architecture. The 
ancient family of Coppice were mostly buried in a vault in the 
centre of the church called the Coppice tomb. The advowson of St. 
Leonard's was formerly part of the possessions of St. Martin's, 
Dover, until Henry VIII., when it was given to the Archbishop 
and his successors, that Primate still being patron of the living, 
valued at £429 per annum. The rector, the Rev. L. Griffith, whose 
portion of the parish has a population of 2,103 souls, was appointed 
in 1862. 



WALMER. 

The village of "VValmer stands on rising ground half a mile from 
the shore and one mile from Deal. The pedestrian may enjoy a 
charming breezy walk from Deal by the sea under the cliffs, but 
only when the tide permits, otherwise he might be seriously endan- 
gered by the rising sea, which lashes the perpendicular cliff on his 
right at high water. Walmer is considered very healthful, with 
superb scenery, commanding the Downs and adjacent country ; 
many pretty villas stud the neighbourhood. The beach, which has 
been levelled, forms a pleasing esplanade, and during the summer 
months is gay with visitors. Walmer Street is the high road between 
Deal and Dover. The parish has a population of 3,275 persons, con- 
tains 461 houses, and has an area of 1,079 acres, including water. 



WALMER. 177 

The manor of Walmer was in remote times part of the possessions 
of the eminent family of Auberville ; a daughter of Sir William de 
Auberville married Nicholas de Criol, who inherited the manor in 
right of his wife ; their mansion stood near the churchyard, and 
was a noble structure of stone and flints, with turrets, built in the 
reign of Edward I. Many stone coffins were discovered in the 
church cemetery late in the last century, supposed to have been 
those of this ancient family. 

Walmer Barracks, built in 1795, cover an area of 22 acres ; 
they consist of seven blocks of brick buildings for the accommoda- 
tion of a troop of horse and 1,100 infantry. Walmer Castle, which 
embraces an uninterrupted view of the Downs and Channel, is now 
shorn of all its former warlike appliances, save some half-dozen 
small guns mounted on a platform in a flower-garden, the fortress 
having been converted into an official residence for the Lord War- 
den of the Cinque Ports. Here the Hero of Waterloo breathed his 
last, on the morning of September 14th, 1852. During twenty-three 
years the late Duke of Wellington, as Lord Warden, spent two 
months each autumn at Walmer, living in quiet and simplicity, 
rising when in health at six o'clock, and exercising upon the ram- 
parts; his bedchamber, which is still shown, was little more than 
three feet wide, furnished to his taste, with merely an iron camp- 
bedstead, mattress and coverlet, and the simplest of articles. The 
rooms are mostly small, connected by narrow passages ; one is 
pointed out, about eight feet in width, as the council-chamber where 
Pitt and Nelson planned their glorious naval operations. In the 
grounds is the great Senator Pitt's plantation of sycamores, and on 
the lawn a weeping-willow, planted by the Duke, brought from 
Napoleon's tomb at St. Helena. 

Walmer is supposed to be the spot where Csesar disembarked his 
army, fifty-five years before the Christian era ; visible marks of en- 
trenchments are still to be found at Hawkeshill, near the castle, and 
on the Old Down, which accord with Caesar's description. 

The parish church, dedicated to St. Mary, is small, but ancient ; 
it consists of a nave and chancel. The doorways on the north and 
south sides and chancel arch are Norman, with zigzag and 
nail-headed mouldings: there are monuments of the Boys, Fogges, 
and Lisles — the latter descendants from the Lords of Bougemont. 
The living, valued at £240 per annum, is in the gift of the Arch- 
bishop of Canterbury. The Bev. I. B. Harrison succeeded to the 
perpetual curacy in 1 854. A deep circular fosse, or moat, surrounds 
the churchyard. A chapel of ease to St. Mary's was built in 1848, 
md dedicated to St. Saviour ; the curacy is attached to the mother 
church. 



N 



178 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 



KINGWOULD. 

The parish of Ringwould adjoins Warmer on the south, from 
•whence it is a lovely walk by the seaside along the cliffs, which 
now tower from two to three hundred feet in height. The parish, 
which includes the interesting hamlet of Kingsdown, covers an area 
of 1,710 acres, with a population of 846 souls, occupying 192 
houses. The high road from Deal to Dover runs through the village, 
in which stands the church and parsonage, and from its lofty site 
commands an extensive sea and land prospect. Ringwould forms a 
limb of the Cinque Ports, and is a member of the Port of Dover ; it 
must have been a place of some note, as being mentioned in the 
ancient charters of those ports. The parish is within the ecclesias- 
tical jurisdiction of Canterbury; the church, dedicated to St. Nicho- 
las, is a noble building on a hill, a sea-mark for mariners. The 
tower was built or — may we say — rebuilt in 1628, of flints, the 
corners and window-arches being of red brick. The interior presents 
a mixture of Early English and Perpendicular ; it has recently 
undergone repair and partial restoration. The monuments are 
simple, and mostly for neighbouring inhabitants ; the brasses were 
for William Avere and his two wives (1405), John Upton (1530), 
and Elizabeth Gaunt (1580). The lining is a rectory, valued at 
£352 per annum. The Rev. C. V. H. Sumner, chaplain to the 
Queen, and vicar of West Cliffe, succeeded to the appointment in 
1853. Bearing to the right across the meadows we reach — 



KINGSDOWN, 

a pretty little village, with its houses in a line at right-angles to 
the beach. Like Ringwould, it must have been of some repute, from 
being included in the ancient charters of the Cinque Ports, and de- 
scribed as ' the Ville and Hamlet of Kingsdowne,' although now a 
fishing-hamlet, and, from the craft of the inhabitants, commonly 
called 'Kingsdown boats. 1 Mr. Pemberton Leigh, now Lord Kings- 
down, owes the title of his barony, created in 1859, to this place. 
On the beach is a modern corrugated iron building, erected for naval 
volunteer coastguard practice, with targets and breastworks. On the 
side of a rising lane, richly wooded, stands a pretty little new church, 
vested in trustees, dedicated to St. John the Evangelist ; on the 
opposite side is the parsonage. The living is a perpetual curacy, 
to which the Rev. Edwin Badger was appointed in 1862. 

After passing the village of Kingsdown, and keeping by the 
shore, the cliffs stand out in majestic proportions, thus graphically 



KINGSDOWN. 179 

described by Mr. Wright : ■ The chalk cliffs become bolder, rising 
to an elevation of from two to three hundred feet, and, the face 
being quite perdendicular, they appear like the walls and towers of some 
gigantic fortress. This effect is heightened by the parallel lines of dark 
flint, which look at a distance not unlike the brick bonding -courses of 
the Roman masonry. These lofty perpendicular cliffs continue for 
several miles, and afford a continued variety of grand groups, until we 
reach St. Margaret's Bay. 1 



ST. MARGARET'S-AT-CLIFFE, 

sometimes called St. Margaret's near Dover, and in Domesday St. 
Margarita, stands high on the chalk cliffs, with the South Foreland 
at its western extremity. The cliffs rise from the beach, nearly 
perpendicular, to an altitude approaching 400 feet, upon which 
are the village and church a quarter of a mile from the brow. 
On the beach is a fine spring of fresh water, with several others from 
this to Dover, which flow abundantly on the decrease of the tides. 
Lobsters of the finest flavour are caught in the bay, which during 
the time of Archbishop Morton, who lived in the fifteenth century, 
had a small jetty built by one Thomas Lawrence for the convenience 
of the resident fishermen. 

The parish, which has an area of 1,924 acres, with 152 houses, and 
83 1 inhabitants, is within the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of Canterbury : 
but the church, dedicated to St. Margaret, is exempt from the control of 
the archdeacon. St. Margaret's Church is a large Norman structure, 
having a massive tower at the west end, and formerly small turrets 
at each angle : these, however, were taken down in 1711, after the 
one to the west had fallen. The roof rests on semicircular arches 
with elaborate mouldings, supported by noble columns and sculp- 
tured capitals., further elaborated by rude heads, forming four bays 
on either side of the nave ; handsome arches span the lofty chancel 
and western entrance, richly ornamented with grotesque heads ; the 
windows have mostly circular heads, and the clerestory windows 
range between external arches with considerable effect. May we 
hope the time not distant when this ancient structure shall be faith- 
fully restored? The living is a vicarage, valued at £160 per annum, 
in the gift of the Archbishop of Canterbury. An old Norman 
custom is still observed in this isolated village — that of the curfew 
bell (couvre fue) ; a shepherd, who was killed in 1696 by falling 
over the cliffs, having given a piece of land for that purpose. 

A short walk westward and we arrive at West Cliffe, on which 
stand — 

n2 



l&O JOTTINGS OF KENT. 



THE SOUTH FORELAND LIGHTHOUSES 



distinguished as the high light and the low light The lantern- 
towers rise from the centre of neat houses resembling villas, with 
gardens walled in; the high light is on a rock not less than 250 
feet above the sea. From the gallery of the tower, which is 30 
feet high, Calais lighthouse may be seen, and in clear weather the 
lights of Boulogne and Dunkirk are most distinct. The upper 
light, which may be seen 25 miles distant, is disseminated on the 
dioptric principle, the illumination being refracted by a number of 
prisms, whilst the lower light is by parabolic reflectors — both 
lanterns being surrounded with plate-glass. 

Leaving the South Foreland, we journey westward for Dover, and 
pausing on the hill near the Preventive Station, contemplate the 
view before us. On the left, the immense expanse of sea ; beneath, 
bold projections of cliff broken into picturesque masses ; beyond, 
Dover stretching to the pier, Dover Castle peering above the Downs, 
the lofty headland of Shakspeare's Cliff, and the summits of hills 
near Folkestone. The walk across the barren downs, although the 
nearest, is dreary, with scarcely an object to attract ; for, excepting 
the little wooded vale of Oxney, barely a tree is to be seen. About 
a mile short of Dover stands the ' lone tree! m the middle of a dreary 
waste, to which a legend attaches, thus told by Wright : ' In the 
days of the Commonwealth, two soldiers of the garrison of Dover Castle 
were jealous of each other on account of a woman, and, chancing to wal • 
thus far together, one suddenly slew the other with a thick staff which 
lie had in his hand. Horror-stricken at the crime he had committed, 
the murderer threw the weapon from him violently, and hastened from 
the spot. But the staff, falling in such a manner as to stick upright in 
the ground, immediately took root, and grew into the solitary tree which 
still remains as a perpetual testimony if this sanguinary deed.'' 



DOVER. 



Dover — the Dubris of Antonius, called by the Saxons Dorfa and 
Dofris, and written in Domesday Dovere— stands at the extremity 
of a spacious valley bounded by ' Albion s earliest beauties/ the white 
cliffs of ' Old England.'' Between this chain of eminenr.es lies the 
town and harbour; on the north side, downing one of these stu- 
pendous cliffs, stands Dover Castle, the buildings alone covering six 
acres, and its dimensions within the area (according to Hasted) 
thirty-five acres of ground, with the citadel in the centre, and for- 



DOVER. 181 

midable fortifications encompassing its walls. The cliff, or rather 
rock, on which stands the castle is rugged inland, but facing the 
sea presents a perpendicular face, rising 320 feet from the beach. 

We have no certain information as to the first inhabitants of 
Dover. Their mode of warfare was not that of either the Gauls or 
Germans, which has long been a problem, whence a rude people, 
whose knowledge of the arts having only advanced to the building 
their boats of osiers covered with hides, had acquired the art of 
managing war-chariots, even to elicit the surprise of Julius Caesar 
nineteen hundred years since, when he found a formidable host of 
warriors ranged on the cliffs around Dover to oppose his landing, 
and of whom he quaintly remarked that in their mode of warfare 
with chariots * they possessed the swiftness of horse, and the stability 

of foot: 

Dover Castle is remarkable for its strength — the Gibraltar of 
England — called in the reign of Edward the Confessor the lock and 
key of the whole kingdom — a marvellous mass of fortifications of 
every age, Roman, Saxon, and Norman, down to the present 
century. There are barracks for 2,000 men, excavated in the solid 
rock, and others above the town, in direct communication by a 
military shaft. It may be observed that under the Romans its im- 
portance as a fortress was by no means eminent ; their stronghold 
was Richborough, then Rutupise. The Roman Pharos, or light- 
house, a massive octagonal tower, still remains. It is said to be the 
most ancient of Roman architecture in regular masonry existing in 
Britain, and forms not only a picturesque object inland, but has 
been a landmark during eighteen centuries. The walls are ten 
feet thick ; the interior is square, and fourteen feet in diameter. 

Nearly adjoining the Pharos is the Church called St. Mary-in- 
Castro. Some historians attribute its foundation to Lucius, a 
British king by Roman courtesy. If correct, which is doubtful, 
this church dates from the second century. It is built in the form 
of across. The central tower, 28 feet square, is supported by lofty 
arches, the north and south pilasters being of squared stones. 
Roman tiles .appear in all parts of the structure, which has under- 
gone every variety of alteration. The first roof was fiat, the next 
was considerably raised, and a third roof less elevated than the 
second, their respective heights and forms being still apparent from 
marks remaining on the tower. 

King Ethelbert after his conversion to Christianity gave this 
church to Augustine, who dedicated it to St. Mary. Eadbald, his 
son, founded a college for ecclesiastics, which he annexed to the 
church. The college was removed into the town in 696, but the 
church retained three chaplains, who, wearing the prebendal vest- 
ments, each in turn chaunted early matins privately before morning 
service. The principal chaplain celebrated Mass to the governor 
of the castle at the high altar ; a second to the marshalmen and 



182 JOTTINGS ®F KENT. 

officers, at ten o'clock, at the altar of the Virgin Mary ; whilst the 
third chaplain performed like offices to the soldiers at nine, before 
the altar of relics. Sir Robert Asheton, chamberlain to Edward 
III., and many other celebrities of remote times, were buried in 
this church, but most of the memorials have perished. Henry 
Howard, Earl of Northampton, and Lord Warden of the Cinque 
Ports in the reign of James I., who died in 1614, was also interred 
here, and a superb monument erected to his memory, at a cost of 
£500. The monument, with his remains, were removed in 1696 
to the chapel of Greenwich Hospital. Within a few years, accord- 
ing to Chambers, this grand ecclesiastical relic has been restored, 
so far as possible, and now forms a garrison church for 600 men. 

On the departure of the Romans, the Saxons extended the castle, 
built massive walls, which they fortified by numerous towers, exca- 
vated fosses, and strengthened the Roman works. The entrance to 
the Saxon fortifications was by a narrow path cut through a bank 
south-west of the Roman fortress, at a point where the hill is most 
difficult to ascend, thereby rendering it all but impregnable if 
attempted by a besieging army. 

When the Danes had widely spread desolation over the coast of 
Britain in the ninth century, the Saxons further strengthened this 
fortress, fortified the bridges over the ditches, defended the passes 
by gates, and built other towers. We fall back on Hasted and Ire- 
land for interesting descriptions of several of the towers, few of 
which remain : — 

Godwin's Tower took its name from the famous Earl of Kent. 
He enlarged the entrance into the Roman fortress by removing the 
Colton and Arthur Gates, formed a vallum on the opposite side, over 
the ditch, raised the wall within the parapet round the Roman works, 
which was continued across the vallum to a gateway in the wall, 
where he built the tower bearing his name. 

Clinton Tower, of which there are no remains, stood near the 
vallum of Godwin ; this tower was square, and named after Jeffery 
Clinton, who was Lord Chief Justice of England, Chamberlain and 
Treasurer to Henry I. (twelfth century), and in command of this 
tower. 

Valence Tower was circular, and south-east of the Roman 
fortress. William Valence, after whom it was named, was allied to 
Henry III. ; his mother was Isabella, widow of King John, whom 
his father married. He rose to great honour, but was slain in battle 
at Bayonne. A noble monument was erected to his memory in 
Westminster Abbey. Valence Tower was destroyed many years 
since. 

Mortimer Tower.— Ralph de Mortimer, who commanded this 
tower, was allied to William the Conqueror. He defeated the Earl 
of Shrewsbury, and in reward for his bravery was granted the Earl's 
castle of Wigmore and all his forfeited lands. Mortimer Tower 



DOVER. 183 

was quadrangular in form ; a few traces of the foundations, sunk 
several feet in the solid rock, are the only remains. 

Colton Gate and Square Tower were built over the original ' 
entrance of the Saxon works ; they were strengthened and repaired 
after the Conquest, and then confided to Fulbert de Douvre. In 
the early part of the fourteenth century Lord Burghersh was com- 
mander of this tower ; his armorial bearings may still be seen on a 
stone shield in front. 

Harcourt Tower was built over two parallel walls forming a 
passage from Peverell's Tower ; the sides were supported by arches, 
which led to a subterranean gate, and by a flight of steps to the 
Suffolk Tower. The whole have disappeared, even to the founda- 
tions, which were razed in 1797. 

Well Tower ani> Gate, so named from a well 380 feet deep 
within its precincts, have few remains left. 

The Armourer's Tower formed the manufactory for weapons of 
warfare, and the repairs of arms for the garrison ; it was taken down 
during extensive alterations in 1795-6. 

King Arthur's Gate, which led through the area before Palace 
Gate into the Roman fortress, has been demolished, and most of the 
Roman fortress levelled with the quadrangle. 

Palace Gate was the entrance to the Saxon keep, in front of 
the Roman camp ; it was so called from leading 'to the royal apart- 
ments. 

Suffolk Tower was converted into a stately mansion by 
Edward IV. for his brother-in-law, the Duke of Suffolk, whose father 
was beheaded by a common seaman in Dover Roads. 

The Old Arsenal Tower was, from a remote period, the 
depository for war implements and machines for the defence of the 
castle. 

The King's Kitchen and Offices occupied the entire space 
between the old magazine and the eastern angle of the keep ; they 
were fitted up in the thirteenth century, probably for Edward I., 
who frequently resided at the castle. These buildings were removed 
in 1795, and "barracks now cover the site. 

King Arthur's Hall stood on the north-eastern side of the 
Keep, in front of three towers ; it was removed, and a messroom, 
kitchen, and barracks erected on the spot. 

Guinever's Chamber, also called Arthur's Private Hall, or his 
Queen's bedchamber, stood between Gore's Tower and Palace Gate. 
Henry VIII. made this a storeroom for provisions during his resi- 
dence with Anne Boleyn at the castle. 

The King's Gate was defended by a strong outwork enclosing 
an area before the principal gates. The gates, opening from the 
area into the Keep, were defended by a portcullis, having towers 
on either side, where archers could command the whole extent of 
the vallum. 



184 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

MammInot's Towers stood south-west of the Keep ; this was 
also a fortress for archers, and named after the Marshal who held 
certain lands for erecting and maintaining towers on the exterior 
walls. 

The Keep is by far the grandest structure of the ancients in 
Dover Castle. It is a large square massive tower built in the centre 
of the quadrangle; the sides, on the east and west, measure 123 
feet, the north wall 108, and the south 103 feet. The turret on the 
north side rises 95 feet from the cliff, and above low-water mark 
upwards of 460 feet. The foundations, which are 24 feet in thick- 
ness, were supposed to have been laid about the year 1153 by the 
son of Henry I. It is built in solid masonry, after the plan of 
Gundulph, Bishop of Rochester, who probably superintended the 
works. Light and air were admitted by loopholes in the massive 
walls, perforated for the discharge of arrows and other missiles. On 
the south-east side is a steep flight of steps starting from a con- 
tracted arch widening upwards. In the centre of the ground-floor 
is a space fifty feet square, divided by three large arches into two 
aisles ; on the south-west ran a passage fifty-two feet long and 
twelve wide, used of late years as a magazine ; on this floor were 
also two large prisons, one thirty-eight and the other thirty feet long, 
lighted by small apertures in the wall. 

Ascending a flight of steps on the south-east side, we reach the 
next floor, having two large rooms in the centre, a guardroom and 
the interesting Norman chapel, richly ornamented and in tolerable 
preservation ; this was the King's chapel, or in his absence appro- 
priated to the Governor. A grand flight of stairs, strongly de- 
fended, leads to the upper floor, or royal apartments. At the foot of 
the staircase was a large archway, fortified with a portcullis, and in 
the walls on either side concealed galleries for archers. The prin- 
cipal rooms were sumptuously appointed for the King and Royalty, 
and at the entrance is a famous well 400 feet deep. 

This noble fortress is in excellent preservation. In the year 1S00 
bombproof arches were built over the summit, and subsequently a 
traversing platform constructed, mounted with guns of large calibre. 
Our space will not admit of further mention of the numerous gates 
and towers with which Dover Castle abounds ; suffice it to say, that 
every part of the castle is being repaired, and colossal works erected ; 
while it stands, in the full majesty of all its historical grandeur, a 
gigantic and formidable fortress, passive in the perfection of modern 
warfare, but, as a type of the ■ British Lion,' not to be roused 
with impunity. 

Upon the cliff stands a curious piece of brass ordnance twenty- 
four feet long, commonly called ' Queen Elizabeth 's pocket pistol :' it 
was cast at Utrecht by James Tolkys, a.d. 1544, and presented by 
the States of Holland to that Queen. 

Dover Heights, from their great elevation, overlook the castle, 



DOVER. 185 

and flank the valley on the south-west. In 1800 an Act of Parlia- 
ment authorised the expenditure of £250,000 for the defences of 
Dover ; of that sum £100,000 was to he expended on the castle, and 
£150,000 on the western heights. These heights are covered with 
every appliance of military art — a citadel defended by ditches, a grand 
redoubt, barracks, messrooms, masked batteries, and lines of cannon, 
as well as formidable works of every description, both offensive and 
defensive, now in progress of construction. A spiral staircase, called 
a military shaft, rises through the chalk cliff, Chambers says, of 199 
steps, but Measom describes the shaft as containing ' three spiral 
flights of 140 steps each. 9 A handsome gothic chapel school, of brick 
and stone, has been recently built, with a residence for the school- 
master adjoining, where the soldiers and their children are carefully 
educated : as a chapel, it affords seat accommodation for 800 adults. 
There is also another new gothic structure for the families of married 
soldiers, fitted up with special care, and replete with domestic com- 
forts ; here fifty-four families reside. 

Everybody has heard of Shakspeare's Cliff, 576 feet high, and 
perhaps read the immortal bard's description ; but all may not know 
that the South-Eastern Railway has a tunnel four-fifths of a mile 
long pierced through it in two distinct apertures thirty feet high, 
ventilated by lateral outlets to the sea, and perpendicular shafts to 
the surface ; altogether this is a grand triumph of engineering 
science. 

Dover Harbour may be said to date from the fifteenth century, 
when Henry VII., after Sandwich Haven was destroyed through the 
recession of the sea, commenced a port at Dover ; but Henry VIII. 
in 1 533 built a pier of stone, which after his death was neglected, 
until Queen Elizabeth, on the representation of Raleigh, resolved 
to resume the works out of funds to be raised by a tax on all vessels 
passing Dover. Until within a few years a formidable bar of shift- 
ing shingle gathered at the mouth of the harbour, which not only 
caused an accumulation of sand within the harbour, but was in 
itself dangerous to be crossed except at certain phases of the tide. 
We well remember some thirty-five years since returning from 
Calais by the mail-packet, and being unable to cross this bar, with a 
tempestuous sea rolling most fearfully — the hour midnight — every 
passenger ill, even to the pet poodle of a lady ; and being told by the 
captain, to the dismay of all, that we must be content to lay off 
some four hours, unless any had courage to be tumbled into a 
twelve-oared boat then putting off from the shore. We recall the 
boat coming alongside, one moment rising even with the deck, the 
next sunk deep in the angry trough of the sea, and our feelings 
when cleverly snatched from the deck by daring boatmen to fall 
into their fragile craft as she plunged downwards into the foaming 
hollow beneath: now, however, those difficulties have been removed, 
and vessels may with safety enter the port in all weathers. Dover 



186 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

Harbour has an outer basin, with an area of 7j acres, and an inner 
basin of 6£ acres, distinct of a wet-dock, a graving-dock, and the pent, 
or breakwater, covering 11 J acres; the pierheads are of masonry 
and substantial brickwork, with an opening of 110 feet. 

A Harbour of Refuge is being constructed, at an estimated cost of 
£2,500,000, to enclose upwards of five hundred acres of water- 
space; it was commenced in 1847, and, if carried out as planned, 
will consist of three piers, measuring respectively 3,500, 2,500, and 
2,000 feet in length, with an entrance from the east 750 feet wide, 
and another on the south of 700 feet. This gigantic undertaking 
will be the work of many years — necessarily so, from the formidable 
difficulties to be surmounted, as well as from interruptions, conse- 
quent on stormy weather, by the occasional displacement of large 
blocks of solid masonry. The foundations are ninety feet thick, 
and forty feet below low-water mark. The first portion of this 
national undertaking was finished in 1854, and consists of 800 feet, 
called the Admiralty Pier, which was seven years building ; on its 
completion, a second contract was effected for 1,000 feet, to be 
finished this year. The harbour is to be defended by military 
fortifications, as suggested by the Royal Defence Commissioners. 

Dover was the first of the Cinque Forts incorporated by charter, 
under the title of the Mayor and Commonalty. The corporation 
seal, which is of brass, was engraved in 1305; upon the obverse is 
represented an antique ship, and on the reverse St. Martin on 
horseback, supporting himself on a crutch whilst dividing his cloak 
with a sword to clothe a half-naked mendicant. The town has un- 
dergone vast improvements and extension within a few years ; the 
older portions, which were narrow and dirty, have been widened, 
paved, and well lighted. There are now handsome lines of streets 
and terraces, imposing shops, and commanding dwellings in front 
of the sea, for fashionable and middle-class visitors ; those on 
Waterloo Crescent, Clarence Lawn, the Marine Parade, and their 
continuations, form a noble range of buildings between the North 
Pier and Castle Cliffe. Hotel accommodation has also made a stride ; 
the * long, long bills,' for which Byron gave Dover credit, have un- 
dergone revision, and no longer justify the unfavourable appellation 
they once merited. A company has been formed for the building 
of a grand hotel on the Marine Parade, to cost £75,000. 

The Priory of St. Martin at Dover, founded in 1132 by Arch- 
bishop Corboil, demands especial notice, as being identified with 
the earliest of monasteries in England. Hasted, in his ' History of 
Kent,' after referring to the College for twenty- two secular canons 
within the precincts of the castle, tells us — ' That King Withred, 
finding a religious community inconvenient near a fortress, had them 
removed into the town, where he built a priory and church about the 
year 696, which remained until the time of Archbishop Corboil. That 



DOVER. 187 

primate found the canons demoralised, and guilty of grave misconduct, 
when he at once expelled them the foundation and erected the Priori/ of 
St. Martin for canons from Merton Abbey ; his successor, however, 
who completed the monastery in 1139, introduced Benedictine monks. 
The brew-house and bakery were built in 1231, and the gateway about 
1320.' Many of the ruins remained until the year 1844, when con- 
siderable quantities were removed and new streets built on their 
site. There still, however, exists the Early Decorated gateway, the 
refectory, and the dormitory. The gateway is in good preservation. 
The refectory, 100 feet long, has been used as a barn, on the walls 
of which are traces of frescoes. Columns and arches rise nearly to 
the roof, 26 feet high, having small windows in the gable, and 
traces of others. The original doorway at the south-west is blocked 
up. Some remains of the dormitory stand west of the gate, consist- 
ing of buttresses and parts of the walls. 

St. Bartholomew's Hospital was founded about the year 1150, by 
two monks of Dover, for poor lepers. The building stood west of 
the London Roacl, and opposite to where the Wesleyan Chapel now 
stands. There were ten brethren and the same number of sisters on 
the foundation, but the funds becoming impoverished, their numbers 
were reduced to eight of either sex. This hospital was suppressed 
in 1535, and the building, with the chapel, wholly destroyed. 

The Hospital of Maison Dieu (' House of God') was erected and 
endowed by Hubert de Burgh in the year 1227, the eleventh of 
Henry III. The master, brethren, and sisters on the foundation 
were specially enjoined to welcome with every hospitality all 
strangers of either sex. Subsequently many bequests were con- 
ferred on this institution. Two sisters gave lands and tenements 
to provide a priest ; but as there was no chapel, his offices were, of 
necessity, celebrated in St. Mary's Church, whither few of those 
receiving temporary assistance repaired. To meet the incon- 
venience, Henry III. undertook to build a chapel adjoining the 
hospital, in consideration of Hubert de Burgh resigning to the king 
the patronage and all his interest in the foundation. Simon de 
Wardune gave lands and rentals. Henry III. granted ' tithes of the 
passage,' and ten pounds annually out of the port dues. Edward 
Prescot, under his will dated 1482, left certain sums to the priests 
and novices, ' to sing masses on the day of his death, and monthly 
afterwards.' William Warren gave £4 annually for ever for an 
obiit. This hospital afforded temporary residence for Kings 
Edward II., Edward III., and Richard II. Here also the officers 
of state were lodged and maintained when the king resolved 
on a continental voyage. After the suppression of religious houses 
by Henry VIII., it was used as a storehouse for grain, flour, and 
biscuits, a brewery, and bakehouse, and subsequently as a victual- 
ling depot for the Royal Navy until the peace of 1815. 

In 1834 the Corporation of Dover purchased the remains of this 



188 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

highly interesting hospital, and at considerable cost rendered it 
available for municipal purposes : one portion has been converted into 
the guild or town-hall, and now contains some good paintings and 
figures in stained glass ; amongst the paintings are those of Charles 
II., James II., Queen Anne, George I., and the late Duke of Wel- 
lington. A handsome window at the west end was filled in 1858 
with rich painted glass, in four compartments, representing the 
figures of the founder (Hubert de Burgh), Edward III., Henry III., 
and Richard II. The town-gaol is under the hall, and contains 
some ancient axes, halberts, and other warlike implements ; whilst 
another interesting portion of this relic of the thirteenth century 
has been remodelled, and forms a convenient session-house. 

Nearly opposite to the hospital, on the other side of the road, was 
a Saxon cemetery ; many graves were opened while excavating in 
the chalk, which contained spearheads, swords, beads, and other 
trinkets. 

The early Kentish historians positively declared that the Knights 
Templars had a church at Dover ; Lambarde even named the site 
as being near the Roman Pharos. Later authorities, however, denied 
the existence of any such building at Dover ; but a discovery made 
on the Heights, in 1806, whilst constructing a new road, laid open 
the foundations of a very ancient circular stone building, thirty-two 
feet in diameter. The walls were thirty inches thick, and from four 
to five feet high, ornamented by pilasters and niches, with a square 
vestibule eastward, measuring twenty-four feet by twenty. These 
foundations were upon the highest ridge of the hill, and fully cor- 
roborate Lambarde's assertion, as being near the Roman Pharos; and 
it is an interesting fact that the Templars' church in London, 
known as the Temple Church, corresponds to the ruins in question 
— a circular structure, in imitation of the Holy Sepulchre at Jeru- 
salem. 

Dover is a bustling town, and has some popularity for sea-bathing ; 
the water is beautifully clear, but the beach rather coarse and full 
steep. Wellington Hall is the fashion ahle resort for balls, concerts, 
and public meetings, adjoining which is an extensive repository for 
every sort of fancy articles, including music and musical instru- 
ments. 

The Sailors' Home in Blenheim Street was built in 1855-6 ; it is 
a noble institution, founded for the relief and shelter of distressed 
seamen, provided with a library and reading-room, refectory, baths, 
a smoking-room, and dormitories fitted with forty beds ; in front of 
the institution stands a Russian mortar, captured in the Baltic. 
Here is also a large military hospital and a dispensary, joint-stock 
banks and a bank for savings; the Custom House is near the 
harbour. The Theatre, a neat structure, was built in 1790; the 
Museum, formerly deposited in the Old Court Hall, has been re- 
arranged in a commodious building near the Post Office, and contains 



DOVER. 189 

many interesting local antiquities, Roman coins, arms, fossils, and 
an array of curiosities well deserving minute inspection. In Cam- 
den Square is a granite and bronze monument to the memory of the 
brave men of the 60th Rifles who fell in the Crimea. 

Education is certainly not neglected in Dover: here are large 
Government and private schools, industrial and infant schools, 
distinct of Sunday-schools, that alone afford religious instruction to 
between five and six thousand children. The Dissenters have also 
numerous chapels, the Roman Catholics a church, and the Jews a 
synagogue. 

The town and port of Dover is within the ecclesiastical jurisdic- 
tion of the diocese of Canterbury, and formerly contained six 
parochial churches, dedicated to St. Nicholas, St. John, St. Peter, 
St. Martin- le- Grand, St. Mary, and St. James ; of these six churches 
only those of St. James and St. Mary remain. 

The Church of St. Martin-le-Grand, with the exception of St. 
Mary-in-Castro in the Roman fortress, was the most ancient in 
Dover ; it occupied a considerable portion of the old market-place, 
and although many of the ruins exist, they are so mixed up with 
houses of which they are made to form parts, as to be scarcely dis- 
tinguishable. 

St. John's Church, which stood at the upper end of Biggin Street, 
at the entrance to the town from Canterbury, was taken down in the 
year 1537 ; not a vestige remains to mark the spot. 

The Church of St. Peter was situated north- west of the old 
market-place, now represented by a row of houses ; it was a rectory 
in the patronage of the Crown, and had a cemetery adjoining. 
The mayor and borough members were chosen in this church down 
to 1583, and divine service was celebrated as late as 161 1, when John 
Gray was rector, after which the parish was united to St. Mary's. 

St. Nicholas' Church stood in the centre of Bench Street : service 
was celebrated here until 1526, when it was partly converted into a 
stable ; in 1796 the porch was taken down. At that time Mr. Ash- 
down, a Baptist minister, had the tower for his parlour, and other 
apartments adjoining, and an angle of the churchyard for his 
garden ; the church was taken down in 1836. 

The Church of St. Mary-the- Virgin, built in 1216, has re- 
cently undergone extensive restoration, at an outlay of £6,000. 
The square tower at the west end has a spire covered with lead, 
and on its summit a large leaden cross until 1634, when it was 
removed, and a lighter one of wood and iron substituted ; in 1724 
the bells were recast, and increased from a peal of six to eight 
bells. The west front of the tower is elaborately ornamented by 
Norman pillars and arches in four tiers. The interior consists of a 
nave, north and south aisles, and chancel : the roof, supported by 
two rows of massive pillars and arches, has a curious effect, from 
the variety displayed in the bases and capitals of the columns, and 



190 JOTTINGS OF KENT. 

the style of the arches, the latter especially — some being round, 
others elliptical and pointed, whilst the interval between the 
columns range from seven to thirteen feet. Amongst the memorials 
is a tablet to Samuel Eoote, the comedian and dramatist, who died 
at the Ship Inn, in this town, October 1777 ; and another for the 
Poet Churchill. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the gift of the 
parishioners, who, upon a vacancy, invite candidates ; each candidate 
is subjected to a course of probation, when the parishioners proceed 
to an election. The present incumbent, the Kev. John Puckle, 
M.A., surrogate and rural dean, was elected in 1842. This 
parish has a population of 6,424 persons. 

St. James's Church, another ancient structure, stands at the foot 
of Castle Hill ; it consists of a nave, aisles, and chancel. The square 
embattled tower, supported by massive pillars, stands central of 
the north aisle, and contains a peal of six bells. Formerly the 
Lord Warden held his courts of chancery and admiralty in the south 
aisle, near the chancel. These courts are still opened in the church, 
but the business is at once adjourned to the Antwerp Hotel. 
Amongst those buried within its walls were John Claryngbould in 
1485, ' before the image of St. James, near that of St. Nicholas in the 
choir ;' Elizabeth a Wodde, in the year 1523; she bequeathed 
4 half a sheet to the high altar, a kercher to cover the chalice, her best 
coverlet to be laid before the altar for poor childwives, and a table- 
cloth ofdrap to make two towels, one for St. James and the other for 
the Cross.'' John Broke, buried in Our L:idy's Chapel in 1529, gave 
£40 for 'a complete suit of vestments to obtain the prayers of the priests 
for ever. 9 There are 4,122 inhabitants in this parish. The living, 
valued at £245 per annum, is in the patronage of the Archbishop of 
Canterbury, to which the Rev. W. E. Light, M. A., succeeded in IS 57. 
Trinity Church is a handsome modern structure built in the orna- 
mented English style of architecture, between the years 1834-36, 
at a cost of £8,000. This is a perpetual curacy in the gift of the 
Archbishop of Canterbury, with a stipend of £180 per annum, and 
a population of 4,490 souls. The Rev. H. Hammond was appointed 
to the curacy in 1863. 

Christ Church (Hougham in Dover), a small building erected in 
1844, has a district with 1,803 inhabitants. The style of the build- 
ing is Early English, and the patronage of the incumbency is vested 
in trustees. The Rev. R. Glover (surrogate) was appointed perpetual 
curate in the year 1862. 

The population of Dover, within the municipal and parliamentary 
limits, amounts to 25,325 souls, occupying 4,119 houses; and the 
area, nouses, and population of the entire County of Kent, at the 
census of 1861, were — 

Statute acres 1,039,419 

Houses 132,550 

Population 733,887 



DOVER. 191 

Our task is now finished. With Dover we close our simple 
sketches, desiring to thank our readers for their companionship 
whilst cursorily tracing the ancient history of this remarkable 
county. We have meditated over ruined grandeur in mouldering 
temples and ancient fortresses ; peered into cities and towns, villages 
and hamlets, to learn of men and manners, governments and insti- 
tutions ; and we have rambled amongst Nature's choicest beauties, to 
feast on gorgeous landscapes not to be surpassed. 

They were written from motives wholly irrespective of personal 
advantage, simply as a freewill offering to the people of Kent, who 
have so magnanimously figured in the early history of our country ; 
and as the pleasurable occupation of many winter evenings by our 
own fireside, when the blast without gives an additional charm to 
the family circle, and when, with our beloved wife and dear chil- 
dren clustered round the blazing hearth, we have gossipped and 
written of wanderings in Kent on bright summer days, 'midst the 
joyous melody of birds and the rich perfume of gay flowers ; or, on 
winged fancy, been transported to Gravesend on an autumn even- 
ing, watching large merchant steamers as they glide by Tilbury, 
illuming their course in colours of red and green ; or the rush and 
excitement for the railway boat, now furrowing and foaming from 
the pier with her living freight for the up-train ; when silvery 
moonbeams play on the rippling Thames, and twinkling lights from 
yon anchored ships sparkle on its bosom like distant meteors. 

With a sincere grip, we again take leave of our many friends at 
the season of fireside festivities, when Holly and Mistletoe deck 
English homes, from the mansion to the cottage — when families, 
gathered from distant points, meet in happy conclave to enjoy the 
blessings of Providence- -when Pater revives memories of boyhood, 
and when Mater lovingly rehearses recollections of early life, 
reminding us of how much we have to be thankful for: the season 
when friends delight to mingle in social gatherings, realities of 
choice fare in poultry, Old England's roast beef, plum-puddings, 
mince-pies, with every other luxury — not, however, forgetting those 
whose privatfons claim our generous sympathies. 

At no more appropriate season, we feel, could we say to all who 
have followed us through these desultory Jottings — 

We wish you a Joyous Christmas, a Happy New Year, 
and a Hearty 



INDEX 



PAGE. 

A. 

Alcher, Earl of Kent 9 

Aldric, 13th King of Kent . . 7 
Anthony Grey, Earl of Kent 

(1639) (1651) 14 

Augustine, Arrival of, Augus- 
tine Monastery founded 5 

Aylesford, area, houses, and 

population 102 

Carmelite Friary ib. 

Cromlechs 104 

Battles 103 

Kits Coty House ib. 

Preston Hall ib. 

St. Peter's Church 105 

Brasses and Monuments . . ib. 
B. 

Baldred, 16th King of Kent . . 8 

Belvedere 121 

Bertha, Queen of King Ethel- 

bert 5 

BlRCHINGTON, Area, houfi 

population 147 

All Saints Church 148 

Brasses and Monuments . . ib. 

Bhoadstaiks, History of . . 157 

Roman Coins ib. 

York Gate ib. 

Monstrous Fish ib. 

East Cliff Lodge 158 

Ancient Chapel ib. 

Modern Chapels ib. 

Town and Promenades .... ib. 

Trinity Church ib. 

CANTERBURY, Early History 24 

Castle of Ludhudibras ib. 

Cathedral 26 

Archbishop's Palace 29 



PAGE. 

Canterbury {continued.) 

Hospitality of Prelates 29 

Shrine of Thomas a Becket 27 
Tombs and Monuments. ... 28 

Nuptials of Edward 1 29 

Chapel of St. Pancraee . . . 

Dane John Hill 30 

St. Martins Church 29 

Monastery of St. Aug-ustine 25 

Roman Pavement 30 

Royal Visitors ib. 

Worth Gate 24 

Cedwalla, King of the West 

Saxons 7 

Ceolmund, Earl of Kent .... 9 

Cerdic, Arrival of 3 

Charles Grey, Earl of Kent. . 14 
Chalk, area, 1; nd 

population 89 

Historyof 

St. Mary'- Church 

Ancient brass 90 

Cliffe-at-Hoo, an a, huii^ 

and population 96 

Ancient History 

Manor and Est tee 

Village, Watch and Ward. . 

St. Helens Church 

Communion plate 

Monuments 99 

Synods 97 

Ancient custom 

COBHAM, drive or walk 71 

Chantry 

College 72 

Cobhaiii Hall and Park. ... 78 

Earl Darnley 74 

Lords of Cobham 71 

Mausoleum 73 



INDEX. 



193 



Cobham (continued) 

St. Mary's Church 72 

Brasses and Monuments . . ib. 
Village and Inn 71 

Cowling, Area, Houses, and 

Population 99 

Early History ib. 

Cowling: Castle 100 

The Cobhams ib. 

Sir John Oldcastle ib. 

St. James' Church 101 

Monumental Brasses ib. 

Cudred, 15th King of Kent. . 8 
D. 

Danes invade Kent. 8 

Dandelion, Estate of 150 

Remains of Mansion ib. 

Roman Discoveries ib. 

D artford, Area, Houses, and 

Population 117 

Barrows 118 

Chantries 119 

Early History 118 

Holy Trinity Church 119 

Brasses and Monuments . . 120 
Knights Templars, Nunnery 118 

Paper MiUs 119 

Town 117 

Deal, Ancient History .... 174 
Area, Houses, & Population 176 

Boatmen 174 

Barracks 175 

Naval Hospital ib. 

Proposed Harbour & Docks ib. 

Pier, — Schools ib. 

Town 174 

Castle 175 

St. Leonard's Church .... 176 
Chapels 175 

Denton, Area, Houses, and 

Population 87 

History of ib. 

St. Mary's ruins 88 

Supposed Cemetery ib. 

Dover, Houses & Population 190 

Castle 181 

Barracks in Rock ib. 

Towers 182 

Gates 183 

Keep 184 

Roman Pharos 181 

St. Mary-in- Castro ib. 



Dover f continued) 

Eadbald's College 181 

Queen Elizabeth's "Pocket 

Pistol" 184 

Heights ib. 

Shakspeare Cliff 185 

Harbour ib. 

First of the Cinque Ports. . 186 

Corporation Seal ib. 

Town ib. 

St. Martin's Priory ib. 

Hospitals of St. Bartholo- 
mew and Maison Dieu . . 187 

Town Hall 188 

Saxon remains ib. 

Knight's Templars ib. 

Sailor's Home and Public 

Buildings ib. 

Schools and Chapels 189 

Ancient Churches ib. 

St. Mary's Church ib. 

St. James' Church 190 

Trinity & Christ Churches ib. 
Area, Houses and Popula- 
tion of the entire County ib. 
E. 
Eadbald, 6th King of Kent . . 6 
Eadbert-Pren, 14th King of 

Kent 8 

Eastchuroh, Area, Houses, 

and Population 132 

All Saints Church 133 

Manor of Shurland 132 

Shurland, Sir J., Legend of ib. 
Manor of Kingsborough . . 133 

Manor of Northwood ib. 

Edelwalch, King of Sussex. . 7 

Edmund, Earl of Kent 11 

Edmund, Earl of Kent (1400) 12 
Edmund Grey, Earl of Kent 13 
Edmund Plantagenet, Earl of 

Kent 11 

Edric, 10th King of Kent . . 7 

Edward the Confessor 9 

Edward, Duke of Kent 15 

Egbert, King of West Saxons 8 
Egbert, Eighth King of Kent 6 
Elmley, Area, Houses, and 

Population * . . 134 

St. James' Church ib. 

Ercombert, 7th King of Kent 6 



194 



INDEX. 



Erith, Area, Houses, and 

Population 120 

Explosion at 123 

St. John's Church 122 

Monuments and Brasses . . ib. 
Robert Bloomfield, tribute to 1 20 

Lesnes Abbey 122 

Lesnes Chapel ib. 

Funeral remains ib. 

Belvedere, Belvedere House 121 

Belvedere Chapel ib. 

Escus, 2nd King of Kent .... 23 
Ethelbert, 5th King of Kent. . 4 

embraces Christianity 5 

endows a Monastery. . ib. 

Ethelbert, 12th King of Kent 7 

F. 
Faversham, Area, Houses, 

and Population 138 

Abbey 139 

Charter of Cenulph 138 

Church of 140 

Brasses and Monuments . . ib. 
Distinguished Natives .... 138 

Earl of ib. 

Grammar School 139 

Manor of 138 

Roman Antiquities ib. 

Remarkable Excavations . . ib. 

Royal Visitors 139 

Town ib. 

G. 

Gavelkind, Law of 23 

George Grey, Earl of Kent . . 13 
Gillingham, Area, Hou- 

Population 123 

Chantry 124 

Council at ib. 

County Prison ib. 

Great Battle 123 

Manors ib. 

St. Mary's Church 124 

Brasses and Monuments . . 12-5 

Font ib. 

Goodwyne, Earl of Kent 9 

Ghavesend, Early History 43 

Beacons at . 44 

Bequests 57 

Bathing 55 

Block Houses 54 

Charter of Elizabeth 46 

Christian IV. of Denmark. . 47 



Grave send (continued) .. 

Charles 1 48 

Cemetery 63 

Dispensary and Infirmary.. 59 

Dissenters Chapels 56 

Exploring Expeditions .... 46 

Fortifications ib. 

Famed as a ShippingPort . . 47 
Fleets of East India Ship- 
ping ib. 

First Town Hall 48 

Free School 58 

Gas Works 53 

Great Frosts 45-52 

Great Fires 49 

Geo. I. receives an Address ib. 

St. George's Church ib. 

Holy Trinity and other 

Churches 56 

St. John's R. Catholic Ch. 55 

Literary Institution 54 

Markets and Fairs 45 

Milton Church 50 

Milton Chantry 51 

Police 52 

Present aspect of 61 

Queen Elizabeth Reviews 

Her Troops 46 

River Traffic 44 

Stage Coaches 48 

Steam Boatfl 53 

Statistical Tables 60 

Streets, the oldest 51 

St. Thomas's Almshouses. . 5S 

Tilt Boats 44 

Town Pier 53 

Terrace Pier and Gardens 54 

Tunnel, commenced at ... . 55 

Watchman in 1784 52 

Windmill Hill 62 

H. 

Harty, Area, Houses, and 

Population 135 

St. Thomas's Church ib. 

Harold, Earl of Kent 9 

King of England .... 10 

Death of ib. 

Henrv (Sir) Grev, Earl of 

Kent, (1524) ..' 13 

Henry Grey, do. (1562) (1573) 

' do." (i<325) '(1643) 1 fc 



INDEX. 



195 



Henry Grey, Earl of Kent, 

(1702) 15 

Hengist, Arrival of 2 

King of Kent 3 

Hermenric, 4th King of Kent 4 

Hever, Area, Houses, and 

Population 108 

Boudoir of Anne Boleyn . . 109 

Hever Castle 108 

Tradition of Anne Boleyn. . 109 

St. Peter's Church 110 

Brasses and Monuments . . ib. 

Higham, Area, Houses, and 

Population 93 

Charles Dickens 95 

Early History, Estate in . . 93 

Higham Tunnel 95 

Gad's HiU 94 

Nunnery 93 

St. Mary's Church 95 

Monuments 96 

New Church ib. 

Roman Causeway 93 

Hubert - de - Burgh, Earl of 

Kent 11 

I. 

Ifield, Area, Houses, and 

Population 84 

St. Margaret's Church .... ib. 
J . 

John Plantagenet, Earl of 

Kent 11 

K. 

Kemsing, Area, Houses, and 

Population 107 

Edith's Well ib. 

St. Edith's Church ib. 

Ancient Monuments ib. 

Kent, Ancient History of. . 2 

Culture of Hops 21 

Geological Products 22 

Grazing on Romney Marsh 21 

Lords of ib. 

Law of Gavelkind 23 

Market supplies 21 

Oak, indigenous to 20 

Parks in 21 

Soils of ib. 

Kingsdown, Village of .... 178 

A Fishing Hamlet ib. 

Chalk Cliffs ib. 

St. John's Church ib. 



Kingsgate, History of ... . 154 

Great Battle at ib. 

Mimic Castle ib. 

Roman Coins ib. 

"Whitfield Tower ib. 

L. 
Laurentius, Archbishop of 

Canterbury 6 

Lawrence, St., Church of. . 162 

Monuments ib. 

Garrows Villa 163 

Manston Village ib. 

Manston Court ib. 

Nether Court ib. 

Leysdown, Area, Houses, 

and Population 134 

Animal remains ib. 

St. Clement's Church .... ib. 

Lothair, 9th King of Kent . . 6 

M. 

Maidstone, Early History. . 39 

Archbishop's Palace 40 

Convent of Friars 41 

Fraternity of Corpus Christi 40 

All Saints College ib. 

Town, Market, and Fairs . . ib. 

Barracks 42 

Gaols ib. 

Products ib. 

All Saints & other Churches 41 

Walloons ib. 

Margaret's St., at Cliffe 179 
Area, Houses, & Population ib. 

Lobsters caught at ib. 

St. Margaret's Church .... ib. 

Curfew-bell ib. 

Margate, Area, Houses, and 

Population 150 

History of ib. 

Bathing facilities ib. 

Chapels 152 

Draper's Hospital 151 

Infirmary ib. 

St. John's Church 152 

Brasses and Monuments . . 153 

Trinity Church ib. 

Pier 151 

Saxon remains, Schools. . . . ib. 

Town Hall ib. 

Theatre ib. 

Town Improvements 152 



196 



INDEX. 



Meopham, Drive to 84 

Area, Houses, & Population ib. 

Early History ib. 

Archbishop Mepham 85 

St. John's Church ib. 

Church Yard ib. 

Merston, united with Shorne 84 

Chapel Wood ib. 

Chapel of St. Giles ib. 

Ancient Fortifications ib. 

Minster, Isle of Thanet 164 

Area, Houses, & Population ib. 

Manor, — Monastery ib. 

St. Mary's Church 165 

Ancient Tombs ib. 

Bible Pew ib. 

Minster, Isle of Sheppey 128 

Area, Houses, & Population 129 

SS. Mary &Sexburga Church ib. 

Brasses and Monuments . . ib. 

Monastery 128 

Manors ib. 

Monkton, Area, Houses, and 

Population 149 

St. Mary's Church ib. 

Brasses and Monuments . . ib. 
N. 

Nicholas St., at Wade, 

Area, Houses, & Population 148 

St. Nicholas Church id. 

Northfleet, Area of 65 

St. Botolph' s Church 68 

Chapel and Schools 69 

Bye-Cliffes 70 

Chalk- Works 66 

Dock- Yard id. 

Huggens' College 67 

New Road 70 

Rosherville Gardens 65 

Pier 66 

Church 70 

Wombwell Hall 69 

North Foreland 155 

Light-House ib. 

Nursted, Area, Houses, and 

Population 84 

St. Mildred's Church ib. 

0. 

Oak, indigenous to Kent .... 20 

Octa, 3rd King of Kent 4 

Odo, Earl of Kent 10 

Offa, King of Mercia 7 



Otford, Area, Houses, and 

Population 105 

Archbishop's Palace 106 

Battles at 105 

St. Bartholomew's Church.. 106 

Monuments 107 

Miracle at 106 

P. 

Pegwell Bay 163 

Belle Yue Inn ib. 

Paley's description ib. 

Peter's St., Village of 156 

Area, Houses, & Population ib. 

St. Peter's Church ib. 

Sheridan, Tablet for 157 

Ancient Tomb ib. 

Products and Resources 

of Kent 20 

Q. 
Queenborough, Area, 
Houses, and Population . . 131 
Copperas Works, Castle . . ib. 

Holy Trinity Church 132 

R. 

Rams gate, History of 159 

Charitable Institutions .... 161 

Christ Church 162 

Dissenters Chapels ib. 

St. George's Church 161 

Holy Trinity Church .... 162 

Jacob's Ladder 160 

Music Hall k Amusements 161 

Piers 159 

Pier-House, Sands 160 

Roman Catholic Church . . 162 
Town and Town-Hall .... 161 
Reculyer, Augustine Mo- 
nastery 142 

Church of the Two Sisters ib. 

Legend of the Sisters 142 

Encroachment of the Sea . . 141 

Roman Fortress 142 

Roman Coins and Relies . . 141 

St. Mary's Church 144 

Monuments and Relics .... ib. 
Reginald GreY, Earl of Kent 14 
Richard Grey, Earl of Kent 13 
Richborough — Castle .... 166 

Watling Street •*. 

Ancient Coins ib. 

Town ib. 

Roman Amphitheatre .... 167 



INDEX. 



197 



Richborough (continued)... 

Osengall Downs 168 

Saxon remains 169 

Ringwould, Parish of 178 

Area, Houses, & Population ib. 

St. Nicholas Church ib. 

Brasses and Monuments . . ib. 

Rochester, Ancient History 31 
St. Andrew's Church. . . . 31—36 

Bridges 35 

Castle 33 

Cathedral 37 

Monastery 36 

St. Nicholas Church 39 

Royal & Illustrious Visitors 32 

Royal Grants ib. 

Town Hall 33 

Wattshospital&Almshouses ib. 
Williamson' s Free School . . ib. 

Roman Antiquities 17 

Roads 18 

S. 

Sandwich, Ancient History 169 
Harbour, Castle, Royal Port 170 
Plundered by the French. . ib. 
Bridge, Town, Fisher' s Gate ib. 
Town Hall, Grammar School 171 
Carmelite Friary, Hospitals ib. 
St. Mary's Parish, — Area, 

Houses, and Population 172 
Church and Monuments , . 173 
St. Peter's Parish, — Area, 

Houses, and Population. . ib. 
Church and Monuments . . ib. 
St. Clement's Parish, Area, 

Houses, and Population. . ib. 
Church and Monuments . . ib. 

Sarre, Area, Houses, and 

Population 149 

St. Giles' Church ib. 

Sevenoaks, Area, Houses, 

and Population 113 

Grammar School 114 

Knowle House and Park. . 115 

Manor 114 

Town 113 

St. Nicholas Church 117 

Monuments ib. 

Sheerness, Dock Yard .... 130 

Chapel of Ease 131 

Town of ib. 

Roman Catholic Church . . ib. 



Sheppey, Isle of 127 

Pasture Land, Pyrites .... ib. 

King's Ferry 128 

See also Minster, Queenborough, 
JEastchurch, Warden, Leys- 
down, Elmley, and Harty. 

Shorne united with Merston 90 

Area, Houses, & Population 91 

St. Peter's Church ib. 

Brasses and Monuments . . 92 

Ruins at 91 

John Shorne, Legend of . . 92 

Manor 91 

Sepulchral remains ....... ib. 

Shinglewell 84 

Sittingbotjrne, Area, 

Houses, and Population . . 135 
Banquets to Kings Hen. V., 

Geo. I. and II ib. 

Bayford Castle 136 

Castle Rough ib. 

ChiltonManor ib. 

George Inn 135 

Incorporation of 136 

Red Lion Inn 135 

St. Michael's Church .... 136 

Monuments 137 

Southeleet, Area, Houses, 

and Population 80 

Ancient History ib. 

Discoveries in a Field .... 81 

St. Nicholas Church 82 

Brasses and Monuments . . 83 

Primitive Village 81 

Roman remains ib. 

Sir John Sedley's School . . ib. 

South Foreland Light- 
Houses . 180 

Commanding elevation .... ib. 

"Walk to Dover ib. 

View from Preventive Sta- 
tion ib. 

Legend of the lone tree .... ib. 

Springhead, walk to 74 

Culture of Water-cress .... 75 

Clayton, Mrs ib. 

Peggy the Gipsy ib. 

Silvester (Mrs.) ib. 

(Miss) her Marriage ib. 

Sutherland, the Centenarian . . 102 

Stone, Area, Houses, and 

Population 78 



198 



INDEX. 



Stone (continued) 

Cockleshell Bank 78 

Castle ib. 

St. Mary's Church ib. 

Brasses and Monuments . . 79 
Swanscombe, Area, Houses, 

and Population 76 

Chapel of John Lucas .... 77 
Church of SS. Peter & Paul ib. 

Monuments in ib. 

Pilgrimages to ib. 

Tradition of William the 

Conqueror 76 

Ingress Abbey and Park . . 77 

Roman Road 76 

Village of Greenhithe .... 77 

Pier ib. 

Wharves ib. 

T. 

Thanet, Isle of 145 

Ancient History, Area of . . ib. 

Ancient Relics 146 

Agriculture ib. 

Caverns 145 

Dearth of Game 147 

Growth of Herbs 146 

Inroads of the Sea ib. 

See also Birchington, St. Nicho- 
las, Sarre, Monkton, Dande- 
lion, Margate, Kingsgate, St. 
Peters, Broadstairs, Rams- 
gate, and St. Lawrence. 
Thomas deHoland,Earl of Kent 11 
Thomas, Earl of Kent, (1365) 12 

ditto (1396) ib. 

ditto beheaded ib. 

Tunbridge, Area, Houses, 

and Population 110 

Castle 112 

Grammar School Ill 

Churchof SS. Peter & Paul 112 



Tunbridge (continued) .... 

Monument 112 

Priory Ill 

St. Stephen's Church .... 110 
U. 
Up church, Area, Houses, 

and Population 125 

Roman Pottery ib. 

Roman Kilns ib. 

St. Mary's Church 126 

V. 

Yortigern elected King 2 

W. 

WalmeR, Village of 176 

Area, Houses, and Popula- 
tion ib. 

Manor, Barracks, Castle. .. . 177 
Duke of Wellington, Lord 

Warden, his habits ib. 

Landing of Caesar ib. 

St. Mary's Church ib. 

ChapelofEase ib. 

Warden, Area, Houses, and 

Population 133 

Manor ib. 

St. James' Church 134 

Widred and Swaebert, joint 

Kings of Kent 7 

William of Normandy, inva- 
sion of 10 

becomes King 

of England ib. 

William de Ipre, Earl of Kent 11 
William Neville, Earl of Kent 13 

Woolwich Dock- Yard 1 

Wrotham, Area, Houses, and 

Population 85-86 

Archbishop's Palace 86 

St. George's Church ib. 

Interesting Cemetery ib. 



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